MUSIC DISCUSSION and Audio, Vinyl, related thoughts.

Stupid thread of the year on Hoffman's Idiot board:

2011-12-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=271587

Live and in your face on the Hoffman vanity board - a lively discussion of mini-LP CD packaging.

Started by moron of the year "TarnishedEars", and appropriate moniker if there ever was one:

"The things that I dislike about this style of packaging include:
1) It doesn't fit inside of precisely spaced CD-Racks.
2) It is virtually impossible to remove a disk from the inner sleeve without getting finger-prints all over it.
3) The packaging just seems like it was deliberately created to be disposable.
4) The fold-outs wear unevenly.
5) Covers wear poorly when inserted into a shelf of CDs.
6) After you've spent 2 minutes removing the first set of finger-prints that you put on the disk when taking it out, you then put a whole new set on the disk when you attempt to replace it into the sleeve.

Seriously: Has anyone even figured-out how to remove a disk from a MoFi sleeve without getting finger-prints all over the disk yet? "

Yes, dimwit, I have! Just take it out by gently pulling on the RICE PAPER INNER SLEEVE you frigging' moron. Just like an LP - have you ever taken an LP out of its inner sleeve without getting fingerprints all over it? Yes indeed, I learned that by grade 6.

Doesn't fit inside of your pretty, precisely spaced CD racks? GET OVER IT. See your doctor about obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Covers wear poorly when inserted into a shelf of CD's? Hey Dumbo, did you not put your record covers into outer sleeves when you were doing vinyl back in the day?

I have to admit, though, in the Wal-Mart mentality and bottom feeding culture that permeates Hoffman land, I'm not surprised that the Andy From Mayberry and Fred Flinstone types have a problem with their clumsy mitts and a mini-LP package.

Let's look at some other bon mots from the Hoffmanites:

From Jay F., the gay side of Hoffman - "+1. I loathe, hate, and detest them. They seem to have been created for people who don't actually listen to them." So what do you do with them, Jay, if not listen? Are there CD's for listening and some for other than listening?

KeithH, who looks strangely like pedophile harborer Joe Paterno, says "Mini-LP sleeves look nice but are not practical." What's not practical? They take up less space. That alone makes them much more practical.

"Holy Diver", who clearly has delusions of deification, says "The packaging is OK, but most mini LP masterings are wasted beyond belief." Really? Tell that to Mobile Fidelity. Stupid, this imbecile hasn't even heard many I guess. But...he has an opinion!

Rburly, who is a very pretty and chesty blonde, shows her blondness: "I took out an original CD pressing from the mid-80s and found the jewel case to feel very sturdy and hefty with the CD inside. I wish CD makers would go back to the original style. They feel practically bullet-proof. It's probably why I seek out original pressings unless another pressing is generally agreed to be the best pressing."
So...you buy a CD specifically because it has a jewel case...not because of sound quality...what a Hoffmanite!

"I am also not a fan. I've developed a way of removing the disc from the sleeve without getting fingerprints on it, but every time I do it, I'm annoyed that I have to do something special."

Wow - this rocket scientist has actually developed a special way of taking a CD out of a sleeve! He should be teaching a university course.

MrBritt, who is usually just another dumb Hoffman lemming, actually posts exactly the right information on getting a CD out of a mini-LP package - which really, not even a child of modest intelligence could not do easily (my 7 year old does it all the time), and the Fred Flinstones are all over him.

Worst of which is the ever self-important Kevin Bresnahan, who has been laughed off just about every other corner of the internet for his pompous mis-information: "

With the RVG CDs from Japan (in glossy mini-LPs), if you squeeze the edge to spread open the mouth the mini-LP, it doesn't work because the CD stops you. On top of that, if you do manage to get the front and back covers to bow and bit and do get your fingers (more likely fingernails) in there, you've probably damaged the mini-LP sleeve permanently."

Actually, the Japanese RVG Blue Notes came in nice mini-LP sleeves that were not tight fitting at all, a little shake would cause the round bottom inner to slide out easily.

"Not really sure why MoFi abandoned lift locks in favor of mini-LP." - Hoffman Hero "Say It Right" has been around the internet for years but obviously thinks he can get everything he needs from Daddy Hoff. The Lift Locks are no longer manufactured, as when MOFI originally shut down, their main customer evaporated. Besides, those cases were notoriously delicate and broke easily, which would drive Huffmanites bonkers.

"Bluesky" from Florida proves the decline of Western civilization, at least the American intellecualy decline: "It especially bumbs me out that you can't read what CD it is when it's in the CD rack." Bumbs...new word! Brilliant! Get glasses, asshole, you are an old fucker and you need 'em. I can read them just fine, thanks. YOU are the problem, not the package.

Really, the Hoffman board has long been about whiners and sycophants who come together to get validation for their obsessive compulsive issues. A group of crybabies who come across like a bunch of petulant little girls. But this is well beyong their waste of bandwidth complaining about shipping times and cracked jewel cases. It's really sick.

Bresnahan says "The jewel case was invented to properly hold a CD in a way that makes it easy to get out without damaging it." And a number of other Hoffmanites say that the proper case for a CD is one where the disc does not touch the package at all, and where the disc can be removed without fingers touching the playing surface.

In fact, the only case that remotely comes close to those specifications is the Lift-Lock case most typically found on pre-Music Direct Mobile Fidelity discs, and old DCC gold discs. It is almost impossible to keep any contact away from the playing surface when picking up a disc from a jewel case - the fingers inevitably must tough the outer edge of the playing surface. The disc is not free from contact with the jwel case either, and jewel cases break easily, hubs are easily broken and floating teeth from the hub can easily scratch the playing surface, and overall, the jewel case is not that sturdy. Doesn't look too good over time either - gets pretty scuffed up.

So what it boils down to on this topic at Hoffman is that the mini-LP detractors can be grouped into two types - Fred Flinstone guys who are too clumsy to get a disc out of a rice paper inner sleeve, and obsesive dainty types who fret about their Best Buy CD racks not being suitable for mini-LP sleeves.

It's a strange world out there, as wew watch the decline of Western civilization unfold at the Hoffman board.

Black Friday RSD 2011 has come and gone!

2011-11-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

That curiously American pagan feast to obese consumption comes once again this Friday, Black Friday as it is oddly (or aptly) named, and Record Store Day is there to partake in the spending orgy.

Odd at best that Thanksgiving in America has become not about giving thanks at all, but in lining up and fighting it out with one's neighbors to get the most bargains, and get them first. I think it's pretty sick, but then again, I'm not American, and I certainly did spend a bunch on this year's stuff.

So here is what I have to show for this year - my early Record Store Black Friday :

The Beatles singles box:

It has a cute apple 45 adapter, 2 of the singles are on the Capitol label which I find unfortunate, the others on Apple, the sleeves are nothing to write home about nor are the actual label reproductions, as we expect from Citicorp/EMI the pressings are rather mediocre too, and it will set you back at least $50. There is a lame poster. The sound is actually very good. Not as organic as originals, biut dynamic and clean. Ticket To Ride is a bit worse for the wear, gritty and sibilant. Hey Jude and Something are very impressive. C+.Wait for the vinyl remasters which will emerge at some point.

Pink Floyd The Wall singles box:

Kind of like the Beatles box but only 3 singles, another 45 adapter and lame poster, the box is kind of a wall cutout, another $50 minimum cash grab. D+.Citigroup has a lot of debt to take care of and a lot of bonuses to pay out. Help them out, please.

Bob Dylan mono singles box:

Much better value - I paid $36, the sleeves are nicer, the sound is superb, and it is all around a much higher quality product. B+.

Wheedes Groove singles box:

This is really one of the true finds of RSD that make it interesting. 10 singles in cool sleeves and a really well made box, inserts, a CD, a nearly 100 page super well done booklet, and a full download code, all for $60 (well, I paid $55). Fabulous old school soul, nice sounding, decent pressings, all around a super set. A+. A bonafide bargain, the only one actually on Black Friday.

Sundazed singles - The Byrds, The Yardbirds:

2 by each, the Byrds ones are really interesting and powerful alternates, maybe $9 each is steep but these are well worth having, a solid B+.

Mr. Gasser & The Weirdos on Sundazed:

Curiosity value perhaps, fun, cool covers that dredged up some long lost memories of 'ratfinks', I wouldn't think these would get a lot of rotation from most but an A for effort here. Hot Rod Hootenanny is the better of the three, Rods and Ratfinks has a certain pervese charm though. My copy of Hootenanny is pretty warped, playable though. Happens a lot from Sundazed. Sound is superb on both.

Tom Petty Kiss My Amps:

Awesome long EP. Comes with a download code for a FLAC file. Rocks like a bitch. A+.Super record. A real prize. Essential.

Dream Theater Metropolis Vol. 2:

Unlike the abominable Roadrunner Dream Theater vinyl titles, this Rhino pressing sounds super good and is nicely presented. A. Rock solid. Good value at under $30.

Grateful Dead Europe '72 Vol. 2:

Paid $60 for mine, 4 nicely pressed RTI vinyls continuing from the well done Bellman mastered Europe '72 set of a few months back. A+, this is for me a better set overall.

Brendan Benson Upstairs At United:

Cool all analog 45 12 inch featuring great renditions of Bowie, Costello, Randy Newman etc. songs, nicely packaged, a bit steep at $15 but very worthwhile. One of the better finds, a solid A.

Iron & Wine Morning Becomes Eclectic:

Generic sleeved 12" 33 rpm EP, includes a CD, great value at $15, very interesting sides and good sound, worth picking up. Good B+.This is what RSD should be actually.

Black Keys Lonely Boy 12" 45:

Not terribly good value - two short songs cut at 45 on a 12" vinyl, not even a download and I paid $15. It is a novelty at best as it plays from the inner groove out to the outer groove, something you really better be careful about. Good tunes that build anticipation for the new LP. Interesting, and good songs and sound, but an expensive novelty still. B for the curiosity.

Last - the Mick Rock - Syd Barrett box, for $35, a pretty decent booklet in a tin case, the 2 track yellow vinyl single being almost a throw-in. For Syd completists only, with includes me I guess. B-.

Aside from the Wilco single, Soundgarden EP, a second Upstairs At United and the Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings LP that haven't arrived yet, I guess that's all for me this American Black Friday 2011. For the Wheedles Groove and Brendan Benson alone, as well as the Petty, Dead and Dream Theater, reasonably worthwhile but I did drop $500 - and really - have not that much essential to show for it.

Until spring RSD....

Crosby Stills & Nash on Audio Fidelity gold CD - an early warning!!

2011-11-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

Announced on the Steve Hoffman vanity board by the vanity master himself - Crosby Stills & Nash debut album coming soon on Adio Fidelity 24k gold CD.

Hoffman himself on his board has stated that his new remastering is, aside from Bernie Grundman's Classic 200g vinyl of a few years back, the only use of the true master tape on CD...as the great guru states:

"Well, WSP told us that they came from Stills not Nash. Does it matter? The CS&N gang had them, let's just say that. At any rate, we used them for our disk and Classic used them for their vinyl cutting. That's about it for use so far, I think. Maybe we'll use them again for our 78 RPM vinyl version.."

So, essentially, what Huffy is claiming is that his new version is the only CD taken from the true master tape. Whatever - that in itself is not unusual, but in this case, Hoffster and Audio Fidelity are actually competing against an audiophile release on gold CD from over a decade ago, that Atlantic put out, remastered by Joe Gastwirt. The booklet of that one states "From the original master tapes" and shows pictures of the original master tape boxes.

It would make sense for Hoffman and AF to want to cast aspersions on that version. The audiophile market is a rather limited one, and many potential customers will already have that version, and collectors pay pretty big bucks for it these days.

Personally, I don't care. The older Atlantic gold disc sounds superb, with a very true tonality capturing the dry, difficult acoustic Martin tone very accurately. It is a great mastering job.

Hoffman has not the slightest clue what tape was used previously. He's just doing his usual salesman job of casting doubts to pump up his version.

I have heard too much of this half truths and little subtle putdowns by Hoffman to get sucked in again, so I will stick to my trusted Atlantic gold CD and avoid Audio Fidelity, whose track record is, to say the least, not very good.

The Monkees "HEAD" on Rhino 180g vinyl - a must have!

2011-11-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

I am NOT a Monkees fan. I was a child when the show was on TV, it was kind of a kiddie show and by the time I was a teen hard rock, prog, and all sorts of cool stuff was in vogue where I grew up and The Monkees were really for the worst kind of geeks. Still, there was always a guilty pleasure to many of the songs that kept popping up on AM radio in my parents car.

Head is a very different matter. It's a remarkably cool, funny, trippy record that holds together very well and is a really fun listen. It is a period piece. It's pretty sincere, pretty psychedelic if at times trying too hard to be hip, has some good songs, and overall it's a trip.

Well remastered, although can be a bit bright, by Chris Bellman. A good RTI pressing for Rhino. A very cool reproduction of the original mirror cover that is a bitch to get a good picture of. Highly recommended. You might find yourself listening to it more often than you would expect.

Pink Floyd Vinyl 2011 Part 2 - Wish You Were Here 180g new pressing.

2011-11-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

Yup, here comes part II of the 2011 Pink Floyd vinyl reissue campaign - Wish You Were Here quickly follows the disastrous (for all except Michael Fremer) 2011 pressing of Dark Side Of The Moon. Unlike that trainwreck, this one has been well pressed at RTI - I guess someone at Citicorp/EMI was paying attention. Surprising seeing as there are pretty much only lawyers and beancounters at the new Citicorp/EMI, at least until it gets sold. So that is the good news - a good pressing, and the packaging is excellent ( I am showing the back in the picture, the front is just like the original outer wrapper). A new poster is added, showing the flaming 2011 WYWH image (seen on the SACD) - cool.

That's all the good news. Like DSOTM the mastering leaves much to be desired. It, at times, has detail popping out from a rather flat background, that detail sounding a bit jarring. There is almost no air around the sound, the staging is flat and one-dimensional. Occasionally there is a roughness, a crude edge to the sound. Altogether, my 1970's vintage Japanese pressing has everything this one does not.

For the price, I guess the packaging is pretty cool. For listening, have another copy, like a Japanese original, in your collection.

ABOUT THOSE TOSHIBA JAPAN BLUE NOTE 200g vinyl reissues - I was dead wrong!

2011-11-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

I posted a few days ago about the new series of vinyl mono Blue Note titles from Toshiba Japan, and got a bit of flak from readers saying they are from 24bit digital files.

I protested that pretty heavily - if there are any folks in the world I would believe without hesitation, it is the Japanese.

Which is why I am terribly saddened to have found out this afternoon, from absolutely direct and unimpeachable sources, that in fact this new vinyl Blue Note Series is not only from 24 bit hi res files, they are actually from 24 bit files originally remastered by Rudy Van Gelder as part of the 24 bit RVG CD series of a few years back.

That's right - these are not even sourced from original blue Note mono tapes, digitized. They are actually folds of RVG mastered digital files!

To say that Kevin Gray has done miraculous work on the two titles I have is an understatement. The Maiden Voyage, for which I understand the true master tape has not existed for over 20 years, sounds very good. The Soul Station is not bad either, although not near as good as the Music Matters.

Leave it to Citigroup/EMI to be the ones to, for the first time, turn even Japanese record companies into dishonorable crooks. I am beyond shocked and feel shamed for the Japanese record buyer.

Whether they sound decent or not is immaterial. These are a sham. There is no doubt that these vinyl pressings are a complete crock. Avoid.

New Hendrix reissues - Winterland and (sort of) In The West, 180g vinyl pressings:

2011-10-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

With the usual controversy coming with any new Hendrix product - why not everything (Winterland), why reissue In The West when the original Royal Albert Hall cuts are substituted with, well, actual 'in the west' cuts.

I can't get too hung up about it - Winterland is awesome, 8 superbly well mastered and pressed RTI discs and the material is smoking hot. I listened end to end, all way through, in one sitting - it is that good. Hendrix at his live peak, tight and relaxed, in the groove, blazing. Great stuff.

In The West was well pressed at QRP. I actually find the material lesser than Winterland, yet still a more cohesive statement than the original, of which I have a fairly nice Japanese original, so I have no complaints as to whether this record really, is, "In The West", and since Hendrix was dead when this record was compiled and released, there really is no 'original' anyways. This may be closer to Hendrix than the original anyways.

We must surely be getting to the end of what is viable from the Hendrix vaults, RAH and more live material notwithstanding. These are two of the best - Winterland at the very top.

Two best of the year - Joshua Abrams vinyl, Samuragochi Symphony 1 CD ...

2011-10-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here are two of the very finest releases of 2011. Format is now anydrogynous - we can move freely between digital and vinyl, and appreciate both where one may be superior to the other.

On top- the Eremite label produces a 180g LP by Joshua Abrams - "Natural Information" by the Chicago bassist/multi-instrumenatist. Best described as mostly acoustic psychedelic world sort of jazz, soundscapes based on polyrythmic textures that may have MPS era Don Cherry as a starting point, but is totally unique and highly fragrant, potent music. Exemplary RTI pressing and production. An amazing, unique and highly recommended record.

Now we come to a CD available on Denon from Japan, composer Mamoru Samuragochi and his Symphony 1 - "Hiroshima" beautifully played by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, conductor Otomo and given an exemplary recording by Denon.

Here is a deeply affecting, powerful original work that has 3 very lengthy movements that would be near impossible to do on vinyl. Virtually unknown in the western world, Samuragochi has written what will one day be considered among the very best classical works of the 21st century, perhaps of all time. This is not Japanese native music - it is western symphonic music, clearly at some past point strongly related to Mahler, but subliminating Shostakovich, Hovhaness, Havergal Brian and a whole lot of others into a very unique voice. Clearly programmatic, the music presents Hiroshima honestly without a political point of view - as human, tragic, yet hopeful, and the climax comes at a split second and is a devestating flash of light that tonally overwhelms with the complex emotion it portrays.

I can't get this off the CD platter. Absolutely a must have CD - essential in any quality collection.

Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon, 2011 180g vinyl pressing - another EMI beancounter screwup!

2011-10-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

I doubt I need to post a picture of the 2011 vinyl reissue of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. So let's go straight to the heart of the matter - how it compares to the Kevin Gray mastered vinyl EMI put out several years ago.

Despite Michael Fremer's positive review of this new pressing, I have to piss all over another shitty efforts by EMI's beancounters. Fremer claims the Rainbo pressing is good, and even that Rainbo is focusing more on quality control. If that is the case, they sure missed the mark on their biggest opportunity of the decade to showcase what they can do. My first copy of DSOTM looked like it had been run over by a Fedex truck, heavily and deeply scuffed edge to label on one side. About a half inch wide scuff at that - just real ugly. I took it back to my local store and we opened another - same thing. And another - same thing. I figured they are all going to be just as bad so I walked out with the third defective copy, and tried it out at home. I asked at a couple of other area stores - they say folks have been complaining to them about the shitty pressing too, and they have had returns - which, in vinyl folks, the retailer cannot send back to the manufacturer - they have to eat the shit for the labels.

Yes, that scuffing is audible. But really, there are ticks and pops all over so it doesn't really matter. Sonically I find this new remaster less dynamic and robust as Gray's - mellow, or more like veiled, not bad at all, but not nearly as engaging as the earlier version.

Of course, neither comes close to my Toshiba Pro-Use DSOTM. That is awesome.

But for both sonic and pressing quality reasons, stick to the earlier Gray version. It's a quality piece of vinyl and better (analog) remastering. This one is just a cash grab.

New Blue Note vinyl from Toshiba Japan - 200g mono LP's:

2011-10-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Here we have a new series from Toshiba-EMI Japan - Blue Note mono pressings on 200g vinyl.

The technical stuff: Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant. Pressed at Quality Records, Chad Kassem's new Kansas pressing plant. Sleeves printed inthe USA. Taken from the original RVG mono master tapes (which are known to be 'fold-downs' of the stereo tapes, but wrongly assumed to be nothing more than a straight fold-down). Horribly expensive to import (I got mine from HMV Japan). The usual high standard of packing the Japanese are known for - LP packed outside the sleeve, even outside the inner sleeve, with a round bottom anti-static sleeve contained in a separate white cardboard cover. Japanese outer sleeve. Bulletproof.

Now, much will be made (and is being made by Chad Kassem/Quality Record Pressings) about a Japanese record company using a US plant to press vinyl. Unfortunately, I have to say this turns out to be a terrible mistake.

I have been enjoying quite a bit of the fast growing QRP output - and at the same time thinking 'this is all a bit too fast and too much output for a new plant' - and sure enough, I have been finding QRP pressings pretty good as far as flatness and centering goes, but no better than RTI (even a bit more inconsistent) in terms of quietness. To be blunt - I find that QRP, just like RTI, produces records than have tons of micro scruffs and scratches, and simply too many ticks and pops.

Getting down to these new QRP pressed Toshiba-EMI Blue Note pressings - I got Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, and Hank Mobley's Soul Station. Both I have on 33rpm King Blue Note, Maiden Voyage also on AP 45 rpm, Soul Station on Music Matters 45rpm. Sonically, bearing in mind I am comparing mono to stereo, I prefer the direct and robust sounding mono Toshiba Hancock to the Analogue Productions which is too smoothed over and lacks punch and dynamism, but the Mobley I prefer the Music Matters for its more vivid and tonally rich presentation.

But both Toshiba pressings are, unfortunately, much too noisy for a $60+ pressing. The quality, while obviously better than, say, a Rainbo pressing, just isn't at the top echelon yet. And QRP messed up BOTH labels- see the picture below for what I mean - this just is not the quality I expect at this price point, and sheesh, even Rainbo can get a label on a record cleanly.

Sonically - interesting, and worthwhile. Quality needs to take a big step up.

SMILE 2011 The Beach Boys - well worth the wait!

2011-10-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Just rush out and buy this one. The Beach Boys "Smile" is finally out, and done the right way, and it is a masterpiece all around, no matter what one's view is of its state of completion, whether it really is Brian Wilsons vision, or what has been done to bring these 1960's recordings to a 2011 release. What Brian Wilson's ultimate vision of Smile might have been is irrelevant, there likely never was a cogent vision or end game, it is likelier that Smile was always destined to be a perpetually changing thing. No matter.

What we have here, on two nicely pressed and very reasonably priced 180g vinyls, superbly mastered for vinyl by Chris Bellman, is an entrancing listen from start to finish, a captivating wide open door to an era that never truly existed, a music that truly did make me break out in a big smile. It's the real deal, readers, and you need to get a copy right away. This record has good vibes pouring out of it. A huge heart. For once, EMI have got one right.

I'm not going back for the big box, but I am sure going to pick it up on CD - it is just that good. Not to be missed.

Bono KNOWS you are stupid - stealing from the middle class to give to the rich...Achtung Baby!

2011-10-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

Bono knows we are stupid. He's the type that drops in on the Occupy City protests to get his picture taken with a slice of his "market" to keep up his street cred, all the while picking every loose pocket he can find in the crowd. These guys, MAJOR rich guys, are worse than the crooks on Wall Street. Those guys are obvious sharks. Bono et al are worse because they pretend to be great humanitarians, but are in reality the biggest capitalists around.

Here is the new 4 vinyl set of Achtung Baby by U2. List price $170USD. The original album on two slabs of 180g vinyl, along with a couple of remix LPs. Yes..that is right...U2 set ANOTHER world record - this time - MOST EXPENSIVE single album reissue ever.

Just for the record, I got mine for $120 CDN. Still a huge, huge ripoff. Here's why (if it isn't perfectly obvious already):

The records are superbly remastered by Bernie Grundman. That's the good news.

There is a sticker on the box stating "Pressed in Germany", which is a flat out lie. The records are manufactured by the underwhelming budget plant Gzvinyl in the Czech Republic, and the pressings are best described as 'serviceable' - they are not terribly quiet, they are very dirty and need a cleaning straight out before first play, and let's face it - for $170, anyone should expect a Pallas or RTI pressing at minimum.

The pressings are placed into rather rough cardboard sleeves without lining. At $170, there should easily have been a polylined inner or a round bottom inner before the cardboard inner sleeve. The discs are scuffed and dirty as a result - a cheap product. Obviously done at the lowest possible cost to maximize margin. U2 do not give a rats ass about quality. Just money.

The box itself holds the discs rather loosely. All the inner sleeves, as well as 3 or 4 outers, have split seams as a result. Really pisses me off that this thing lists at $170 for such a totally carelessly produced ripoff.

Why worry about value added - like a CD, or even a download code? Neither are here for your $170 list. Thanks, guys. I get newly recorded albums on vinyl for like $16, better pressed, sans seam splits, that include a download card.

So there you have it. Bono loves you. A well remastered, mediocre pressing, dishonestly represented, one album and 40 minutes of remixes, arriving in poor condition due to careless package design, and a record setting price gouge. We, myself included, are so stupid this set is already pretty much sold out. Quality or value are not concerns.

ORG Dumbs Down to Hoffman for uninspiring new series!

2011-09-12T04:40:00.000-07:00

Announced on the Hoffman vanity board - ORG - Original Recordings Group - engage the Hoffman/Gray team to do a new series of vinyl reissues based on the Atlantic Jazz catalog and the Black Lion jazz catalog.

Sad. ORG has been distinguished till now for using the best remastering talent in the business - Bernie Grundman. Those ORG 45's by Grundman - the Coltrane/Impulse, the Getz Au Go Go, the Weather Report, Nirvana, and so many others have a transparency and tonality - and an honesty - that Hoffman can't go near. Remember how disastrously Hoffman screwed up "Coltrane" on a $50 AP reissue?

It's well known that Hoffman doesn't know or understand jazz. He fattens up the bass, scoops out the mids, and turns down the top end - he's scared shitless of sizzling cymbals, and he wants to make jazz sound like a groovy mellow so-cal country rock shit. The Music Matters series sounded much better than the AP Blue Notes because Ron Rambach and Joe Harley were in the room producing, making sure Hoffman didn't mess up. And the Music Matters reached a whole new level over the past couple of years when Hoffman got booted out and Gray started doing them without the Huff.

So why would Jeff Bowers engage this douche to remaster a new series? Huffy sure does need the work. Universal, Capitol/EMI, so many others have banned Hoffman from working on their titles. Seems Warners is pretty much all that is left. But Grundman sure does know the music better, and has not only a better studio, has better judgement in remastering. He's honest. He doesn't play to the gallery.

The answer can only be - Jeff Bowers is falling into the Hoffman forum bullshit. He's going for what he wrongly thinks is a social media audience that he wants to tap into. He's SOLD OUT.

Proof? Look at the post that the duplicitous Hoffman hits his lemmings with. "Forum friend Jeff Bowers" is how the Huffy describes him - a short time ago, Hoffman let his rabid followers shit all over Bowers and ORG in a terribly destructive way, as well as continually taking thinly veiled barbs at Grundman, purely out of jealousy. Now Hoffman gets a gig from Bowers - and they are forum buds.

I guess Bowers is the latest Stockholm Syndrome victim. That's how Hoffman operates - try to destroy if you aren't hiring him, best of pals and open doors to the Hoffman forum kingdom if you do. Kind of how the mob operates, when you think about it.

It's all pretty sick, and very sad. I feel sad for Bowers and ORG that he feels this is necessary, and that his standards have fallen so low. I have been a huge fan of ORG since day 1. I think I won't be alone in getting off the bus now that Bowers has joined this sick club.

Not that the music gives me much incentive. Black Lion is hardly a candidate for expensive audiophile treatment. For the most part, it's catalog is made up of American ex-pats recording in the UK or Europe during the mid to late 60's with local pickup players of distinctly average to low calibre. If you want to hear late Ben Webster blowing hot air into his mouthpiece backed by some local hacks, go for it. If you want to hear Dexter blowing hard and backed by a four-square rhythm section, be my guest. There is so much better material by any artist on Black Lion - and much better recorded - to be mined. Most, of course, not accessible to Hoffman. Black Lion did have an avant garde imprint, Freedom, that was picked up by Arista - red hot stuff by Marion Brown, Archie Shepp, Charles Tolliver, Randy Weston, many others - all in their 1970's true prime. This stuff would all be very worthwhile, totally not commercially viable as audiophile reissues, and in any event, outside enough that Hoffman would totally screw them up.

Black Lion is very, very minor stuff for extreme completists only. The jewels in European jazz, aside from ECM, are Steeplechase and MPS. Now...if Bowers did some Steeplechase...we would seriously be talking.

Atlantic jazz is just as chequered - there are some obviously gigantic recordings by Coltrane, Coleman, MJQ, Charles Lloyd, Rahssaan - and some of the later stuff by Eddie Harris, Les McCann, Herbie Mann and others are very good. Problem with Atlantic was Joel Dorn, who didn't met a recording session he didn't want to fuck up with strings, horn sections, and other crap - he ruined most of Yusef Lateef's 1970's output, as well as a lot of Harris, Laws, and so many others. Most Atlantic were not all that well recorded, and the truth is - most Atlantic master tapes were lost in the infamous warehouse fire decades ago. So one has to wonder what Hoffman will be remastering from, anyways.

There really isn't that much Atlantic 60's stuff that hasn't been reissued to death, and in the 70's the crown jewel of American jazz is without a doubt the Milestone catalog. Why not REALLY break the mold and do a Milestone reissue series?

All in all, I think Hoffman sums this situation up well when he claims:

"I asked OrgMusic why they wanted these to be mastered by us (usually they would use Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman in Hollywood). I was told that "Hoffman/Gray are dialed in to what audiophiles want to hear- and we want our stuff to stand apart. Steve and Kevin mastered our best sounding record ever- Rickie Lee Jones- Pop Pop- people still talk about it- and we pressed it at Pallas. We broke the mold- now I want to do that again". "

Bullshit, Steve. You didn't ask Bowers why they wanted you. You asked them for a promo blurb to post on your forum. ORG already stood out - Grundman, exciting, often off beat titles, wide range of genres, and great pressings. There is nothing in Black Lion or that hasn't been done with Atlantic that remotely breaks any mold. And another sly little insinuation there that Chris Bellman isn't as "dialed in" as the great Herr Huffmein is. Cheap shit. Bellman doesn't do much ORG anyways, Stevie, Grundman does. But you really wouldn't know, would you?

Now ORG have dumbed down and don't stand out at all.

If ORG does any Atlantic Ray Charles, just make sure Hoffman doesn't cut up the master tape, ok?

Quality Recordings - Cat Steven "Tillerman" 200g vinyl, Freddie King vinyl reissues!

2011-08-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

As ORG/Original Recordings Group seems to want to emulate Classic Records quality control reputation (as in, no quality control) - out of the ashes of Classic comes Quality Recordings, a part of Chad Kassem's Acoustic Sounds empire.

First up - some Freddie King, Getting Ready and Texas Cannonball, both originally on Shelter (Leon Russell's old label) and featuring the Russell/Muscle Shoals crowd. Both fine, hot blues rockers well recorded and given excellent, warm, vibrant if a bit loud and brash remasterings.

But I'm sure what readers want to know about is the pressings.

Well, they are dead perfect. Flat, centered, quiet, visually perfect, in MOFI style inners. Just simply perfect, the way it should be.

The much delayed Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman is the title I imagine most are wanting to know about.

Again, I have a flat, perfect 200g pressing that is totally quiet - perfect in every way. Classic never really could get 200g right. Quality Recordings seems to have it nailed.

Marino's remaster is warm, big sounding, detailed, tonally excellent. Perhaps Marino's weak spot is that his remasters tend to sound rather unsubtle (to mangle a perfectly good word) - a bit brash, lacking some delicacy and inner quality that a better remastering engineer like Bernie Grundman can achieve. He is far better than Steve Hoffman, though - maybe on a par with Gray. But that's not to take away much from a very fine achievement here - this is a splendid reissue, a bargain at $30, and a fine start to Quality Recordings that looks towards a fine, long future.

WTF is with ORG - another train wreck pressing!

2011-08-16T12:06:00.001-07:00

Just arrived yesterday - a fine box from Soundstage Direct with 11 slabs of vinyl, from MOFI, Music On Vinyl, Porcupine Tree, and ...Original Recordings Group (ORG).

I dumped all over ORG for their shitty pressing of Weather Report - Heavy Weather on 45 rpm vinyl. I figured it was an aberration, but noted that ORG appear to have changed from Pallas to RTI for their pressings - not necessarily a good sign.

Now arrives the 45 rpm Albeniz Suite Espanola, from the London reissue program that so far I haven't bother with (insipid, listless group of titles really).

I should have stayed away.

Look at what I received for $60 plus shipping - freakin' skid marks across the vinyl!! This is just so disappointing, so ugly, so unnecessary. It's just purely crappy quality control and both ORG and RTI are to blame.

Maybe it's a great remastering (Bernie Grundman), I have no idea. The sound is pure garbage.

Stay away from this one, too, as well as the ORG Weather Report. Looks to me like Original Recordings Group, the highest priced reissue company in the market, has decided to go the way of Classic Records and keep buyers in an endless loop of frustration, returning product endlessly in search of a passable pressing.

Not this boy. New policy - when they are this bad, I'm sending them back for a refund, no second chances. For $60, they can do their own quality control checks instead of leaving it to the customer.

Classical CD roundup - 2011 so far...

2011-08-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Rounding up briefly the highlights so far in 2011, on the classical side. There is still lots of life left in the classical CD business, even if it's been pretty much over 5 years since I have bought anything from DG, Decca, Philips or EMI!

Valery Gergiev has been recording Shostakovich symphonies at quite a clip lately, here we have numbers 2 and 15. The sound in the series, with his Marinsky Orchestra, is outstanding and of demonstration quality - deep, warm, analog like, zero string

harshness, a realistic acoustic and dynamics in spades. Gergiev's readings are definitive. I love Haitink's earlier readings on Decca, but that sound is nowhere in the class on offer here, and Gergiev is perhaps more idiomatic, and much more dramatic. Highly recommended.

Naxos is a label that has come along way from it's roots as a deep budget label that offered a wide range of repertoire from third and fourth rank orchestras with no-name conductors in serviceable, bland sound. For sure, they still do some of that. But recent cycles of Bax, Vaughan Williams, Rousell, Stanford and others feature first rate orchestras, up and coming conducting stars, and first rate sound typically from displaced former Decca and EMI engineering teams. Case in point - the Sibelius symphony cycle from Inkwan in Helsinki. Here we have symphonies 1 and 3 in outstanding interpretations - easily the most fresh, insightful readings in decades - that eclipse totally modern recordings from Ashkenazy, Oramo, Vanski, Jarvi and others - even perhaps Berglund. The sound is glorious - not quite reference class, but extremely good.

And it costs under $10. I have the entire cycle, and there is not a single mis-step, and not a single one that I would not place right beside Berglund, or Karajan, or any other favorite. Inkwan's Naxos 2nd in my opinion is right up with Karajan's Philharmonia account.

Pierre Boulez conducts the magnificent Lucerne Festival Orchestra in a brisk, dry

reading of Mahler's 6th, as well as Webern and Stravinsky's Chant Du Rossignol. The Mahler is likely the main attraction here, and listeners' feelings about Boulez overall will likely be the deciding factor. The recording is quite good, and far superior to Boulez' DG version, sonically it is not demonstration quality, but is admirably transparent and natural, if lacking a bit in weight and body. Boulez can seem cold and clinical, and this version certainly has greater passion and feeling that his earlier Mahler for DG. It is not sentimental,yet it can frequently be exciting, and often I find Mahler's 6th (and 5th) to be conducted with an eye on having the adagio sliced out to go on those endless, cheesy romantic compilations for the easy listening classics crowd. Boulez will never be one for that, and his reading places Mahler squarely where he should be, in the modern, neo-classical tradition. It's worth hearing, and the Stravinsky in particular is very good. The Lucerne Festival Orchestra is young, highly committed, and never plays by the numbers. They eschew vibrato, and are highly individual. Perhaps not recommended as a first choice, or for all listeners, but recommended nonetheless.

I haven't picked up hardly and BIS titles in a couple of years, as none have really interested me, but for some reason, there have been quite a few excellent titles released by BIS this year. The label always produces exemplary, natural sound with full dynamics, and lately, pretty much all are being released in dual layer SACD format.

A disc of Eino Tamberg orchestral music from Neeme Jarvi - the ballet suite Joanna Tenata is rather abstract, tonal, challenging - highly charged, dynamic music making full use of

the orchestra's colors, particularly brass and percussion. Beautiful music. The Symphonic Dances and Concerto Grosso are a different matter, largely concertos for saxes and woodwinds, the Estonian folk elements less at the fore, showing greater influence of Bartok, Prokofiev and obviously Tubin.

Thomas Dausgaard is one of the best conductors around today. Consistently interesting, fresh and honest, and willing to take chances. He offers a fine Swedish Chamber Orchestra reading of Schubert's 8th and 9th, the smaller chamber orchestra (on modern instruments) bringing a freshness and vitality to music which, with traditional orchestras, often seems hackneyed and overwrought. The same forces bring a reading of the 1877 version of Bruckner's 2nd that just blows the doors off early Bruckner, it's briskness aided by the opening and unravelling of textures brings an entirely new, fresh view to this work, placing it far closer to middle Beethoven than to Brahms, and bringing it out of the reverberant church context Bruckner is typically placed in, out into the open with a dry, open sound.

Both these are totally, highly recommended.

Now we have Owain Arwel Hughes conducting his father's works,

including Anatiomaros, the Suite For Orchestra and Glyndwr legend. This is exemplary British music, very much coming out of Vaughan Williams, Holst, Bax and so on.

In many ways, unknown and/or long neglected composers like Arwel Hughes (and Tamberg, Tubin, and many others) offer flawed, but far more adventurous and unpredictable experiences than their more celebrated contemporaries. It's the flaws that prevented them from achieving greater popularity, as well as the slightly more challenging or offbeat aspects of their music. They didn't write for the mainstream, they wrote what they heard in their minds, and that's what makes them so interesting, and in many cases, much more relevant today. If you are into British music at all, and I have to say that I am as much a lover of British music as I am of Nordic and Scandinavian composers, you should hear this very fine disc.

Typically at an industry or products end of life, price is lowest and quality is at it's peak. Also typical of many product life cycle end periods, the niche manufacturers come to dominate as the larger players have abandoned the business as their need for economies of scale can no longer be met.

That is largely what we see in the classical segment today - almost universally the sonic quality is at an absolute peak, and more 'niche' or less mainstream repertoire is dominant, and this is what we are seeing in these excellent new releases. It's never been better.

Hans Werner Henze is a perfect example of a composer for whom the leaps in CD sonics benefit massively. Here is a new Wergo recording of his 3rd and 5th symphonies, beautifully conducted by Marek Janowski. Earlier digital did not do Henze any favors, it made his music sound hard and cold, yet here, it is deeply human, reaching music, affecting deeply, and this I can attribute largely to the very involving, human sound. I had ignored Henze for a long time, and now I hope for more.

The Naive label, out of France, is doing some wonderful contemporary things to bring classical music to a broader, younger market. One disc, out of many recently from this fine label, is of Ravel and Prokofiev piano concertos from the outstanding pianist Anna Vinnitskaya - who, from what I hear in these works, is a major, major new star. She's not at all one of those young Asian technical but soul-less virtuoso kids that the major labels trot out regularly. She has chops that dance all around those players, but has an intelligence and fresh point of view that they totally miss.

Here, the Prokofiev sounds less of a hard, technical showpiece and far more of an organic, introspective conversation with orchestra. There are obviously technical fireworks on display, but they seems also to have a deeper inner quality, and a humanity that is often (usually) missing. The Ravel is also a wonderful performance - light, bluesy, jazzy, dancing, human. These readings instantly become first choices in both cases. They are fresh, unique, and completely of their time. This is an artist to watch, big time. Fine, fine recording. Highly recommended.

So there you have it. a long one, this time, and plenty of off the main road recordings to check out. As I think back to the first decade of CD, where dozens upon dozens of new classical recordings flooded the stores every week, I can't help but thinking that the state of the classical industry today may be desperate from a major label economic point of view, but as a cottage industry, it really has never been better.

A new addition to the living room...

2011-08-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

Her's my latest addition - a Rhodes 1979 suitcase piano. Refurbished, in outstanding condition, playing just peachy with rather little work needed (and easy, minor stuff for the most part).

You know the Rhodes sound, you've heard it on hundreds of records. It's wonderful to have one here, and it's always useful to be in touch with what real musical instruments sound like.

I've already put a Mad Professor wah on it. Too cool.

New music - THe HORRORS - "Skying" -

2011-08-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Read about this one in Uncut and it caught my interest, I'm always into new music that reads like it would be sympathetic to my vibe. Good call on this one, Uncut.

Never really paid attention to The Horrors before - their first two albums sounded like twee synth pop to me, and I had pretty much dismissed them. All of a sudden, Skying appears on XL, and it seems to me like the record that comes out of a band that has all of a sudden made a huge, transformative leap and found not only it's own voice, but has jumped from being an indie also-ran into being a band that can stand up with the major alternative rock names of the day.

I find this to be simply a beautiful record. It hold it's influences well, coming from the new wave camp through Britpop with elements of Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, The Verve and others, the synths are still there, but the guitars and analog keys are much more to the fore, there is a touch of progginess in the shifts and colors, it's highly melodic. Totally entrancing. It's a pop record, no doubt, and highly tappable. It's one of the highlights of 2011.

A big five doobies to this excellent work. The Horrors will only get bigger, and better. This is the kick-off point.

A side note - XL was badly hit by the British riots last week. A bunch of yobs and losers burnt down a warehouse putting a whole bunch of indie labels, including XL, in a precarious state.

Here's your chance to support an indie label and get an outstanding contemporary record while doing that. I hope you pick up Skying, and you will be rewarded for doing so.

Nice pressing, double record, well done embossed gatefold, I paid $16. A freakin' bargain.

New Steve Earle - "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive"...

2011-08-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

Take it from one who has long respected Steve Earle but has never really been a lover of his records - this one is his best record, ever.

I picked this up in a slow week. Didn't want to leave the record store empty handed. Wouldn't have bought it otherwise. When that happens, either I get something that turns out to be a stone classic and a huge surprise, or I get bitten by a piece of dog crap and feel guilty knowing that I knew it was a waste of money when I bought it.

Happily, this one is a huge surprise. I can honestly say it is a transformative experience listening to this.

I won't spoil it for you talking too much about the music. It's sort of a country album, but not the Randy Travis or (substitute any generic conservative countrified nutjob you prefer) any other such country pop artist. It's traditional in a way, but so was Coltrane in 1967. So is Hans Werner Henze, at his core. It's also very forward looking and of today. Just get it. It's great.

Here, we also have a dedicated vinyl mastering that has been plainly done to optimize sonics. It was clearly intended as a true analog vinyl master, and it sounds like it. No hi-fi sound effects - just a warm, vibrant, dynamic, tonally faithful sound on a pretty decent pressing, for which I paid a princely $17.

I consider this a master statement, both artistically and sonically. It gets 5 doobies on both counts. It's a must, regardless of genre. It transcends genre. I strongly recommend it and would be surprised if it does not reveal itself to you as much as it did to me.

WEATHER REPORT - Heavy Weather on ORG...

2011-08-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Just in, 45 rpm vinyl of Weather Report's awesome "Heavy Weather" on the ORG (Original Recordings Group) label, and the weather is indeed heavy - hail, in fact.

That's what the pressing sounds like. A hailstorm of pops and clicks.

This one, unusually for ORG, is pressed at RTI, and it sounds like it. Not only a cacaphony of pops and clicks that even my amazing cleaning methods can't remedy, a low level continuous surface noise floor that truly mars this beautiful remastering by Bernie Grundman.

Here, Grundman shows again why he is simply the best in the world. That extended, holographically transparent, clear sound that has a tonality that is simply spot on in timbre and color. Absolutely organic, and simply stunning.

The amazing sound is almost enough to overcome a shitty pressing - almost. Maybe at a different price, it would be. But not a $55, and not at the true cost - $55 plus the shipping, and I suppose, the return ship and the ship of the replaceement.

It's already $75, and it will be well over $100 to get a decent one.

If a decent one exists.

So - with regret - you have a choice here. If I got a crap pressing - and all four sides are unacceptably noisy - there are many more in the small press run. So you either go in here understanding that you are a nut job and willing to pay over $100 to eventually get a passable one, you pay your $55 plus shipping and accept whatever pressing you get and ignore the noise while enjoying a Grundman masterpiece, or you simply take a pass.

I don't know which way I'm headed. The music and sound here are both a perfect 10 - and more. But for the top, top premium price this ORG goes for, I expect perfection in the pressing, and I EXPECT THAT WHEN THE LABEL DOESN'T GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, THEY WILL MAKE IT RIGHT AT NO COST TO ME.

I know Music Matters does that. Actually, Rhino and Warners typically do too. ORG and Elusive Disc need to also.

A superb remastering let down by a bad pressing. Nuff said.

Audio Fidelity Target series - a new low!

2011-08-04T15:06:00.001-07:00

Troubled "audiophile" label Audio Fidelity have announced a new series of vinyl and CD releases, supposedly at lower prices, manipulatively called the "Target" series.

Here's a new low, for a label renowned for screwed up mastering, production mistakes, hit and miss repertoire choices, and often sound that is really not much of an upgrade. A low, because AF have now made clear that they are full of shit and aiming straight at the Hoffman cultites. the 'Target' moniker was created solely by Hoffman wankers, and supposedly is the mark of an early 80's European CD with mythical, holy grail sonic qualities. like most other inventions of the Hoffman board, their purported qualities are massively exaggerated or simply non-existent. Target CD's are simply early digital - never taken from original sources, offering muddy, low level sonics that those with marginal systems and/or hard, bright sounding digital players prefer becuase their frequency limitations and mud mistaken for warmth fit right in with their warped world view.

Damn, I could get a good mastering to sound just like a Target - put a resistor across my tweeter to kill the top end, lower the bottom to have no presence, and put a blanket over my speakers to lose the detail - and there you have it, the Target sound.

One Hoffman lemming, a real loser 'Tootull', even complains that Toronto record stores wouldn't take his Targets off his hands, apparently not having got the memo that these are uber-collectable. I can just see this douche going to the used record stores telling them 'but..it's a Target!! They're worth BUCKS!! Steve Hoffman says so...don't you know who Steve Hoffman is??' and being laughed right out of the store. They are early digital, dude. Only valuable to collectors who buy into snakeoil generally.

The real hilarious, gut splitting post on the Hoffman board is from a guy who is looking forward to this series, particularly if they are "flat transfers". He didn't read the "Adventures in Mastering" vomit inducing self aggrandizing promo pieces by Hoffman himself, wherein he declares that "At no time do we just do a flat transfer and call it "mastered"" also saying he uses "equalization equipment and other signal processing gear" - I guess it's hard for the acolytes to keep up with whatever is the dogma of the month.

So why is Marshall Blonstein doing this? Remember, Marshall has no reluctance to take the low road in marketing his wares - his recent Huffington Post 'interview' shows he has a high propensity for, shall we say, 'gilding the lily' - and that he takes himself very seriously. Marshall did the respected DCC label, a knockoff of Mobile Fidelity, true. His ventures since have been rather variable, including Audio Fidelity.

Marshall is doing this to tap into that myth on the Hoffman board, to jack up his cred and sales among Hoffmanites. Pure and simple.

Among more knowing audio folks - Target means early, shitty digital from late generation sources. I wouldn't go near it if he was giving them away.

Already, the Hoffmanites are salivating at the propspect of getting their faves on this new series. Some great titles are being proposed!

Melissa Manchester! Yes! That will sell a bundle, guys. Hey- are Hoffmanites not past puberty yet?

Pablo Cruise!! Laura Branigan! Shiela E!! Wow-ee!! These guys are so lame.

Worse - they have no clue about rights, licensing, or indeed their host's issues with many labels.

Oasis, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin - these bands own the right to their recordings. They will not be licensed out - extremely unlikely. Even if they were, Hoffman is barred from touching anything from EMI, MCA, most Universal...in fact, it seems pretty much only WEA still allow him to touch their stuff (and doubtful they let him near a master). Gray has no such limitations I understand.

Even so, there are label restrictions are ownership matters that HUffers just don't understand in the slightest. It's sad to see these people pump their own narrow wet dream without the slightest inkling of what might be commercially viable or even obtainable.

Sadder - left to his own, Marshall comes up with two titles to launch this misguided affair - a record by Riot (yeah- Riot!! WTF??) and a 10,000 Maniacs titles that is ok, but MOFI have already done the gem of the Maniacs catalog - In My Tribe, and AF can't approach the sonics of MOFI, even on a rare bad day for MOFI.

Like I said, a new low for Marshall Blonstein and Audio Fidelity. I think I'll stay away just on principle. I hate being manipulated, and I hate even worse being sold to as if I were a moron.

Since I'm on about Music Matters this week, how about going back to some that deserve to get out front some more?

2011-08-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Here's s look back on some Music Matters 45 rpm vinyl releases that came under the radar and deserve more attention.

Way too often, the narrow demographic of buyers for these reissues, and even more, the limitations of the Steve Hoffman vanity board as the prime source of discussion of these titles (with the usual misinformation, complaining, limited knowledge/appreciation of the music that is endemic on that board) prevent some of the real gems in the Music Matter catalog from gaining their rightful acclaim.

Let's take a look at Jackie McLean's seminal "Destination Out". That's a test press of that title to the left. Remastered by Kevin Gray as Huffy had left the party in a huff (bad pun, I know) by then. Here we have the cream of mid-60's jazz in five perfect tracks. There should be no more reason to buy this record than to hear Roy Haynes behind Jackie McLean, who was approaching freer playing at this point, but not at all into dissonant avant garde. But there is much more reason - Bobby Hutcherson, for one. Taking essentially the piano spot, Hutcherson's vibes have simply never been reproduced as gloriously as they are here - the ringing, metallic yet warmly resonant tone here is astonishing, how the notes ring and reverberate throughout the room has just never come through before now. My first reaction was a broad smile - THAT'S what Bobby Hutcherson sounds like - what a major thrill to finally hear that! Then there is Grachan Moncur, enfant terrible, who has such a rich tone filled with harmonic warmth, and on this one you can hear and feel the sweat dripping off his bell. I consider this one of Moncur's best outings.

What more can I say - except bring on more Jackie McLean! One Step Beyond just HAS to get on the Music Matters schedule, if only for the emergence of Tony Williams - it's often not recognized that Tony Williams became Tony Williams in Jackie McLean's band. The intonation issues that Jackie has on earlier Blue Note were resolved by this point and this title is the real start of the prime Blue Note period for Jackie McLean. Don't miss this one.

Speaking of Granchan Moncur - he recorded two records as a leader for Blue Note, "Evolution", the first and probably the best, pretty much starts off where Destination Out ended, adding to that group Lee Morgan, and Bob Cranshaw in place of Larry Ridley and Tony Williams back in the saddle in place of Roy Haynes. What is remarkable here is how the sympathetic Kevin Gray remastering turns this into a whole new record. It is more "out" than many are willing to go, but don't be deterred by that - it's far from inaccessible, in fact, the warmth in the midrange, Moncur's glorious tone, Hutcherson's metallic singing vibes tone, and a real swing to the proceedings were a revelation to me - and I have known this record for decades. This is neither a 'blind' purchase or a 'spec' purchase - it's an essential purchase. Let this music wash over you and revel in the tone colors brought to life.

An earlier and more mainstream hard bop session led by Paul Chambers wasn't to me an automatic Music Matters purchase. Sure, it has an early pre-Coltrane Elvin Jones - but at this point Elvin was really struggling to find his identity. Chambers is always solid, and Tommy Flanagan never made a bad move. Clifford Jordan, it seems to me, was the wild card here. Jordan's presence is mostly what made me hesitate - I never considered him much more than a journeyman. But his playing here actually makes the date, and he really plays at a much higher level that many of his BN contemporaries, and here is a case where the whole truly exceeds by a wide margin the sum of the individuals involved - it comes together as a very satisfying cohesive record that was both an unexpected surprise and a minor revelation.

That I had really not given it any respect previously made it all the more delightful to make a re-acquaintance in such a rewarding way. If you have overlooked this one, don't make my mistake - be surprised, and delighted, and maybe even it will open your eyes and ears to the many other unheralded titles in the Blue Note catalog that you need to discover. Curated by Ron and Joe, you just know that if they put it in front of you, it's going to be great. You have to take the next step to make the discovery.

Before I leave this topic for awhile, I urge Music Matters to bring more Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams collaborations out of the vault and into our hands. Pepper has been unfortunately largely forgotten now, while Gerry Mulligan remains revered, and IMO Pepper walks all over Mulligan as a hard bop bari player - and his stay in the Byrd band was seminal. Music Matters have done Byrd In Hand, with a second horn - Charlie Rouse on tenor. It's a good date and sounds very good. Pepper had one of those tones that never really got properly reproduced on record - it's big, much bigger than Mulligan, it's metallic from that Berg metal mouthpiece he favored, he growls down deep and loves the horn's bottom end. It's a baritone sound, and too often, I found players like Mulligan trying to make the bari into a darker tenor. Among bari players, Pepper is revered - not nearly as much so Mulligan.

In my view, Music Matters can't get enough of the Byrd/Pepper records into market, so we can here for the first time that magnificent, unique bari tone. Royal Flush has just got to get on the schedule. How about that, guys?

About that Music Matters 45 Sonny Rollins "Newks Time":

2011-08-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

In some of my recent posts, readers have commented on the recent Music Matters 45 rpm vinyl release of Sonny Rollins' Newks Time, citing rather severe problems sonically. As I mentioned in those comments, it surprises me that Music Matters would put out anything subpar - their standards sonically and in the whole presentation have been consistently sterling, and truth is I have not personally heard their Newks Time (but the comments posted and private emails I've received sure have pumped me to rectify that).

I did ask the good folks at Music Matters about it, and got the whole story. First, an email Music Matters was kind enough to forward to me, unedited or altered:

"Hi gang,

Tonight I'm sitting here listening to the test pressings of Sonny Rollin's amazing Newk's Time session. I'm blissed out....and here's why!

From the inception of Music Matters' Blue Note project, there have been a handful of sessions that we (Ron and I) dearly love but that apparently had master tape problems of one kind or another that made the prospect of being able to release them seem remote indeed.

One of these sessions was Sonny Rollin's amazing "Newk's Time". We had been told by various folks (including Michael Cuscuna) that the masters "had problems" and that it would be better to move on to other great Rollins titles on Blue Note. We did that (you'll see Sonny's great Vol. 1 from us soon and Acoustic Sounds has released Vol. 2) but Newk's Time has always been a favorite.

A few weeks before our last Blue Note mastering marathon at Acoustech in June, Ron and I decided to go ahead and request Newks' Time, despite all the warnings.

The session comes, and sure enough, there on the Newks' Time masters are dire looking warnings about "severe tape drop outs" all over the outer box and inner notes. Most of the fuss seemed to revolve around drops out on the first track "Tune Up".

Undaunted, Kevin went ahead and carefully spooled the tape up so we could have a listen and settle in to our battle plan.

The first thing that struck us all...well the first two things really...were how great Sonny sounded and how great the overall sound was. Sonny was in full flight, I was getting totally stoked and then it happened.... the dreaded "drop out"! I said "wait a minute!" but Steve was already on to it... "THAT'S no drop out!" He was right, this was clearly Rudy making a fairly radical fader move. Tape drop outs are obvious and have their own "sound". This was not a drop out.

We had been noticing (and commenting) on the fact that Sonny was moving in the stereo image. Then I started laughing since it was so obvious....Sonny was WALKING around the studio (the Hackensack living room) and Rudy was doing whatever he could, using his faders, to keep up with Sonny.
Anyone who has been to a Sonny Rollins concert knows that he is not a stationary player. I had vague memories of reading of Sonny's recording adventures with Rudy, of Sonny's desire not to be chained to a microphone.
It probably sounds like a small matter to most, but for Ron and myself, this was one of those Eureka Moments where everything suddenly makes sense.
We put up "Tune Up" again as Steve began to zero in on other things that the track needed.

The rest of the tracks were fine.....no "severe drop out" issues at all! Yes, you do hear things shifting around a bit as Sonny walks around, playing his tail off, but hey, that's what the man does...he needs to MOVE to play his absolute best!

There's an amazing track on this album that will take up all of Side C on our release....Philly Joe Jones and Sonny on an amazing duo work out on "Surrey With The Fringe On Top". I wish I had a camera to capture Steve hanging on for dear life with the faders trying to "walk" with Sonny and keep him present. He succeeded but needed a towel to dry off afterwards!
Thanks Steve! Thanks Kev! And THANK YOU SONNY!

Cheers,

Joe and Ron"

So there you have it, straight up.

But wait a minute - despite all that, it's clear - Newks Time DOES have some sonic problems, and damn, it costs $50 a pop for folks to get that! Is that right?

I suppose it is all a matter of perspective. If all it's about to you is pure, perfect, unblemished sonic nirvana, you might not be getting your fix with this one.

For me, though, it has always been about getting fantastic historical and LIVING performances in not necessarily the 'best' sound possible, but the most realistic and faithful sound possible - and a big part of that is representing that particular moment and place in time as faithfully as possible.

Those warts on Newks Time are part of the music. Hearing Sonny moving around, going off mic, moving side to side in the stereo image - those are all parts of that wonderful moment in time, they are part of the performance, part of that particular day at Van Gelder's - part of the history that Music Matters is doing such a fabulous job of reproducing, of archiving and preserving for my, and hopefully my kids, enjoyment going forward.

I would not reject Newks Time because of these artifacts (they are not flaws! artifacts is a better word, IMO) - and again, I have not yet heard the MM vinyl - I suspect I will embrace them as they bring me closer to that moment in time and closer to what is a truly great Sonny Rollins session.

I perfectly understand that others may see this differently. If nothing else, readers who have written me about Newks Time have pushed me into ordering a copy to hear for myself, and to give some thought to what exactly should be expected in preserving these performances. I'm grateful on both counts.

Kate Bush Directors Cut - what is the whining about?

2011-08-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Whole lot of whining took place over at the whining board (www.stevehoffman.tv) over Kate Bush's Directror's Cut on vinyl. Lots of sad folks with sad vinyl setups complaining about the vinyl quality, even going as far as to claim that the whole UK/Euro pressing run is defective.

As usual, a whole pile of bullshit.

I bought mine for the whopping sum of $16 at Rotate This here in Toronto. European import pressing, I guess imported by EMI Canada.

An absolutely dead silent, flat, perfect pressing that sounds fabulous. And an absolutely perfect package in every respect, a double LP for less that one side of the typical audiophile bullshit remaster.

What's to complain about? OK, Rubberband Girl in this revamp incarnation takes a bit to get used to. Overall, this is a terrific mid life look back at an artist's own catalog that is a whole lot more interesting than a greatest hits package.

Who can complain about this, and at that price?

New Jazz CD's Gary Burton, Tom Harrell, Omer Avital, James Carter

2011-08-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been much happening Stateside in jazz over the past decade or so. Aside from endless pre-1965 reissues of standard fare, jazz in it's country of origin has become a museum music followed by older white men with highly conservative tastes who rarely understand the music much beyond pleasant background.

There are a few bright spots - avant garde labels like AUM Fidelity, Thirsty Ear, and Small's record label. After a dormant period where I feared Small's had died, a new Omer Avital CD appears, and it is a fine one, featuring the excellent tenor of Joel Frahm on a fairly straight ahead live date, blowing, advanced accessible compositions, superb musicianship in the tradition and in the moment as well. a fine recording. Very recommended.

Gary Burton had descended into formula long ago, after his prime ECM period. Here he tries to revive the ECM era, Metheny era group formula, but not necessarily the sound - it's more modern, a touch latin in places, less fiery and progressive. There's no Metheny here (and in truth, Metheny was never the same after his Burton era, and that has to do with the fact that Mick Goodrick was the lead guitar in that Burton band and a better player) but the record stands up well on it's own and is a welcome return of an older, more settled Burton who still has one whopping technique.

Anyone who has not been following Tom Harrell's quintet recordings on High Note is missing the single finest band in American jazz today. His latest, The Time Of The Sun, again featuring Wayne Escoffery's tenor, is no exception - in fact, this band keeps on getting better each time out. If you haven't already, just go to Amazon or CD Universe and order the last 5 Harrell recordings on High Note right away. It's that good.

Last for now, James Carter records a classical crossover record on Emarcy - Caribbean Rhapsody, a concerto for saxophones designed as a showpiece for Carter, a fine player with a tendency to showboating. Over the years, Carter has learned that subtlety is a virtue and having technique doesn't mean you have to flaunt it with every note you play. Here is a fine piece of music, nothing that will become the next Brahms concerto, but a fine latin crossover vibe that showcases Carter very well.
The revelations are to be found on the new AUM Fidelity Planetary Unknown, a group with David S. Ware, Cooper-Jones on piano, the thunderous William Parker's bass, and Muhammad Ali on drums - an avant garde super group if there ever was one, starting at late Coltrane and moving forward. Majestic, often tonal, avant garde music that shows Ware as a newly matured player, much changed after his recent life threatening illness. Ali played with Ayler, and has all the history in his hands, and brings an emotion and passion often lacking in the avant garde to the band. Never 'out' for the purpose of being 'out', this I am sure will one day be considered a seminal date and maybe even a turning point. Not to be missed. You've never heard anything like this before.

Finally took the plunge on some Analogue Productions SACD's...

2011-08-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

And I guess I have some mixed views, sonically. Maybe artistically too.

Let's deal with the artistic first. My view is that Chad Kassem has very limited musical tastes, is stuck in the 50's to mid 60's, and is so commercially conservative that he is simply regurgitating well worn warhorses that really do not need further rehashing, except maybe to older white males who obsess about sonic trivia.

The world needs another Blue Train or Coltrane/Ballads like it needs another recording of Beethoven's 9th - as in, it most surely does not. But if a certain demographic will buy them, Chad will make them.

No big problem there, I can choose not to buy. But wouldn't it be nice if Chad, and other similar labels, actually cared about the music enough to forego the well worn and put really timeless, but not overdone and even the slightly overlooked, gems in front of buyers - who will swoop them up on sonic grounds alone - and really do something to advance the history of modern music? There's an opportunity here, beyond immediate financial gratification. But it seems today in America, it's not about music anymore - anywhere.

So I have tried, in a slow month, a bunch of AP Blue Note reissues on SACD, as well as a bunch of AP Impulse titles. Bear in mind that I am not a SACD advocate - I have never owned a SACD player, considering my long term CD setup to be at least equal if not superior to the failed SACD format. Besides, optimizing CD is a far more intelligent route IMO as the vast majority of music is, and will only be, available on CD as far as digital formats - or ultimately as downloadable files. SACD was never intended as a replacement CD anyways - at the time, it was already clear that the music buying public would bypass physical format altogether and go download (remember, I am a market researcher!). I also found something missing in SACD - it always sounded 'glossy', or overly slick, to me. So, I am hearing these CD layer only, albeit on a very superior digital setup.

The Blue Train is a fine remastering. Here the Hoffman forum model is played to directly - it's a very 'quiet' remastering, relatively low in volume, tonally very correct, highs just slightly rolled off to ensure older ears aren't offended. Comparing to my Japanese RVG remaster, it certainly is better - but those RVG's are still very nice sounding, going deeper into the room, wider to the side walls, and having a percussive, metallic top end. Tonally the AP gets it better. Otherwise, the RVG is very good. Fortunately, THE RVG does not contain the 2 bonus tracks included on the AP which may help sell another round of Blue Train, but detract more than add to the legend of this classic.

A brief word on those much derided RVG remasters. Initially, when they first started appearing in Japan, I was astonished at the range and detail they possessed, a very wide and deep soundstage and air around the instruments that even these AP remasters don't have. But that top end I initially found sizzling hot and ear bleeding. What I came to learn is that the RVG remasters are the single most system specific remasters ever made. They are not for every system, in fact, I contend that they are not for most modern systems - the very digital digital players, the multi driver speaker systems with the typically bright metal dome tweeters. They only sound right on very natural sounding systems - NOT "hi-fi" or "audiophile" systems, audiophile meaning for this purpose expensive systems that are designed to produce very hi-fi effects, rather than organically natural sound. Nobody pays for natural sound. They pay for audio fireworks (expect in Japan). On the two pairs of speakers I have been using for the last decade or more - Tannoy in one case, PHY-HP in the other - and combined with the natural, un-digital sound of 47 Labs CD transports and DAC's, the RVG's sound superb. But they are so system dependent I acknowledge they are for most not going to work out.

The Hancock Maiden Voyage is even closer to the RVG. I care not a whit about RVG narrowing the stereo spread, in fact, I find it highly desirable to make solid decisions to optimize the sound for modern times. The RVG sounds very good, the AP better, again particularly tonally, but not so much that it renders the RVG obsolete. As usual, the Japanese cover art is far more faithful to the originals than AP's scan job. I have a few other AP Blue Note SACD's - Mobley's Workout, Dexter's Go and Dexter Calling, Lee Morgan's Sidewinder - within a few inches, all the same verdict - good, safe remastering, not totally displacing the RVG, not in the class of the Music Matters vinyl. They are not anywhere near the much lamented XRCD Blue Note series sonically. I would not go out of my way for them, if there are any you must have, get them from Amazon at the cut rate price only.

On to the Impulse offerings from Analogue Production. The Paul Gonsalves and Sonny Stitt is a rare example of a relatively neglected Impulse catching Chad's attention - I am sure this has more to do with Chad's limited knowledge of the music than a conscious title selection, likely Chad saw Sonny Stitt's name and figured it was a good one for his conservative crowd. But it's a great title, more for Gonsalves, 5 great hot blowing tunes with a fine rhythm section and this Gray remastering sounds very fine. I have nothing to compare it to, which is just as well - I encountered it on it's own terms, and it's very recommendable.

The Elvin Jones is a lesser title. Like McCoy Tyner, Elvin did not do anywhere near his best work on Impulse. McCoy only became McCoy once he retooled and hit Milestone, and Elvin only emerged as an individual leader on Blue Note - and fairly well in to his Blue Note tenure at that. Sonically, I did not find this one as good as the Gonsalves/Stitt, and the Ellington/Coltrane I also tried was better too. The plus of this series is that Gray is mastering them without Hoffman - so Hoffman's tin ear isn't a factor here. Where I have a Japanese K2 remaster to compare. it's really a tossup, so for the most part, I'll stick with those K2's which for Impulse I find really haven't been significantly bettered.

I really wish that Blue Note - Audio Wave XRCD series would be revived. Better yet, I wish for a XRCD Impulse series, with better titles than AP are willing to do.

Mettallic Rock - Helms Alee - Weatherhead

2011-08-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

New on vinyl from Hydra Head Records, who have one of the coolest wensites going. Helms Ale - Weatherhead. Colored vinyl, 180g pressing. Getting the technical out of the way - great, quiet pressing. Superb artwork an packaging. Sounds just great.

Some of the most interesting music around today gets lumped under the 'metal' genre, which is unfortunate, as a lot of the stuff coming from labels like Hydra Head, and Neurot, and even Southern Lords, is heavy - but takes much from genres like prog, hard rock, grindcore, and grunge as well as many elements of the classic rock these bands no doubt grew up on. What we are seeing today is musicians, and music, emerging that draws from a multitude of influences and seamlessly blending them into unique forms. I kind of understand where these bands are coming from - I started with Back Sabbath, Audience, Caravan, Bitched Brew, Billy Cobham, Family, Traffic, Ted Nugent, Coltrane, Steve Hillage, and a hundred others - and to me, they all originate from the same DNA.

Helms Alee is a case in point. It's heavy. For sure, this is heavy on the fuzz box riffs. Yet, beyond the riffs, there is a lot more subtelty happening here, and a much wider sonic palette. It's part a heavy metal blast, but part a moody hard rock anthem piece. Anyway, it's a very good record, turn it up very loud and let it wash over you, it's another great record from Hydra Head. Five doobies.

Golden Pavilion Vinyl again - Bob Thiel, Life new!

2011-08-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

Golden Pavilion new releases on 180g vinyl, direct from Portugal. Limited to 500 copies, and I have every reason to believe that they really are only pressed to 500 - and then, that's the end.

I was disappointed by the last LP I got from Golden Pavilion - Dragon's "Kalahen", apparently the source used was very poor, but actually, sonically that one turned out fantastic - and the heavy prog in the grooves, reminding me more of groups like Jonesy and even at parts early Crimson, was just superb and completely, uniquely, not commercial. The pressing sucked, though, and no amount of elbow grease could rescue it.

Not so here. Two super pressings and sonic gems.

Bob Thiel's So Far is a 1970's folk-prog masterpiece, unknown at the time, highly reminiscent of Roy Harper's HQ period, even hinting a bit at Meddle era Floyd. Thiel is an excellent song writer, many tracks are lengthy and could be termed folk-prog tone poems. Very worthwhile. Great sounding. Five doobies recommendation.

Tone poems for rock band is what Swedish group Life's self titled LP is about. Originally on Harvest, this is the rare English sung version, not even a slight hint that English is not the mother tongue here, and a fine testament to how ahead of their time European bands were in the 1970's, very much like UK bands Nucleus and Soft Machine who show that jazz-rock really was adopted abroad well before the more mainstream variants that appeared and became popular in the US. Another fine record unearthed by Golden Pavilion, and a fine pressing in exemplary sound.

I have to wonder how these European labels manage to get such great sound and yet produce such limited pressing runs, and still manage to stay afloat. Yet, they do - and I strongly recommend you support labels, like Golden Pavilion, that are exploring rare, unique music that deserves to be heard again, way more than another boring rehash of The Doors, or Black Sabbath, or Cat Stevens.

Universal Japanese Vinyl Reissues get it right!!

2011-08-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

Rather quietly, Universal Japan have been reissuing a small number of catalog titles - in most cases, very rare and offbeat stuff, on superbly done 200g vinyl that puts domestic vinyl reissues to shame.

Take a look at the picture that shows how these are packaged. First, the covers are exact reproductions of originals - whether flip back, tipped on, gatefold...it's reproduced exactly, right down to the paper type. The records are packed in a high quality resealable Japanese outer sleeve, with the actual record in a Nagaoka type round bottom inner contained inside a separate thick white cardboard sleeve. This type of packaging precision and excess is in every way designed to make sure both record and sleeve arrive in perfect condition, every time. Nice.

They are indeed highly limited, maybe 500 to 700 copies at most, and truth is. they pretty much all sell out immediately. Deservedly so.

I'll point you first to the Clarke-Boland Big Band 'Latin Kaleidoscope' since it is still available in Japan. This is a classic MPS recording that is legendary, with originals going for fairly significant bucks in the used market. Gary McFarland's suite is on the first side, a Francy Boland suite of equal significance on the second, key players like Johnny Griffin, Sahib Shihab, Benny Bailey, Jimmy Woode, Idrees Suliemann, Tony Coe, Ronnie Scott, Sabu Martinez...the cream of the crop playing in Europe in the early 70's. There is a reason this is a somewhat under the radar legend - the band is red hot, having a blast, loose, and the music is superb. This is simply a joy to listen to. Hunt a copy of this reissue down, it's a real keeper.

The Clarke-Boland is perhaps the best known title reissued by Universal Japan in this series, aside from Yusef Lateef's 'Before Dawn'. Two 1960's titles by Staffan Abeleen are revived, Perseopolis is the earler, in serviceable but not overly fulfilling mono, Downsteam the later and better of the two, in fine stereo and dispelling the myth that the European jazz player of the 60's was stiff and unidiomatic. Very worthwhile and quite advanced for the period, in ways looking ahead to ECM, rooted more in Crescent era Coltrane in other ways, and featuring the young Palle Danielsson who went on the anchor Keith Jarrett's 1970's 'European' quartet. Very recommended.

A very odd and welcome title from Paul Gonsalves, 'Hummingbird' was originally issued on UK prog label Deram, probably why it disappeared quickly and remains forgotten. Features a UK backing group that includes Kenny Wheeler on trumpet (imagine - Kenny Wheeler and Paul Gonsalves!!) that acquits itself very well, an interesring mix of a few standards and originals from band members, strong blowing from all, and of course, Gonsalves recorded so infrequently as a leader and in small group settings that this one must be highly recommended.

It goes without saying that the Japanese 200g pressings are flawless in every respect. While I hear a lot about how great Pallas and (sometimes) RTI are, the fact is, the best pressing plant in the world is in Japan, and as has been true for over 30 years now, the very best pressings in the world still come from Japan. Check these out please.

Rush "Roll The Bones" on Audio Fidelity

2011-08-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

New gold CD of Rush "Roll The Bones" on the underwhelming, mistake prone Audio Fidelity label.

An original digital recording, presumably 16 bit from the early days, remastered by Kevin Gray.

I have to question the value of giving this kind of early digital recording the 'audiophile' reissue treatment. Sure, I have actually heard some fabulous 16 bit digital file remasters lately ( The Dutoit - Holst/Planets on Classic Reissues vinyl sounds knock-down amazing), and in truth, there are many early digital recordings that are very good sounding (1980's Denon Japanese vinyl sourced from PCM files are one sterling example), so I have no inherent bias against early digital.

But here, the sound is likely as good as it gets - and Gray's remastering brings greater clarity, smoothness, and a punchy sound. Without a doubt, it is good sounding. But it has very little bass - inherent in the digital file - and sounds rather clinical.

It's good, and I figure Gray has done what can be done here. But I question Audio Fidelity's judgement in bringing this title to market in a pricey audiophile edition. But then again, title choices have been Audio Fidelity's weak point all along, as well as their unfortunate penchant for mistakes, happily not present here.

It's an upgrade, and I'm happy to have it. Others may want to decide based on whether they feel the value proposition is strong enough.

Dos Y Dos on ORG - a letdown.

2011-08-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Starting up front with the superficial - this has just got to be the worst back cover on a record so far this decade. You have just got to wonder why aging artists would want themselves to be photographed like this, and these are...well...self inflicted wounds, to put it kindly. Purple on purple?? Groovy, just like the Partridge Family would do if they were still around. Cool color coordination. Might want to look into a bit of hair color at this point, folks, even a bottle job would be better. Sorry to be superficial and crass, but it really does detract from the music. Front cover is pretty good.

The pressing is a letdown. Pallas is not the great quality assured fabulous be all and end all of pressing plants it's sometimes made out to be. One failing is the inner sleeves they use which are loaded with static, and the discs all too often come loaded with dust attracted by the sleeves. It's a pretty noisy pressing, particularly at the side starts, and cleaning didn't make it much better. The music actually requires a quiet pressing.

On to that music. Bass duo, a bit of vocal in places, very good, great to hear basses on their own, tunes are excellent, a fascinating sort of jazzy-punkish bass thing going on.

But too bad about ORG's pressing. Worthwhile, but you may have to work at it to find a good pressing, and musically it's not really worth the effort.

Singles from Coldplay, Wilco, Radiohead...-

2011-08-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

Recent singles from some big names show that all the life in the music biz is purely with the indies now.

Wilco, now self publishing on their own label, come with a fine effort 'I Might ' that has a cool b-side in ' I Love My Label' , it's a nice pressing, sounds very good, and well priced (I think I paid $6 for mine, and that's in valuable Canadian dollars, not the quickly fading USD).

On the other hand, Coldplay have returned with more of the bed-wetters favorites - 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall ' is apparently produced by Eno, but sounds like it's trying to be 'Viva La Vida' (which I quite liked, despite how long it took me to find a pressing that was even slightly passable) but it's really just a dressed up cheesy pop tune like Bay City Rollers with a bit of cool synth sounds. Clever title and lyrics showing just what masterful poets the boys are, true romantics. Destined to be in heavy rotation at your local Wal-Mart in a few years. A shitty pressing, digitally ugly sound taken from a bad flac file emailed directly to the cheapest pressing plant EMI's beancounters could find, complete with a super cool die cut sleeve to make you think you're getting something that has a bit of value, and costing about double what the fine Wilco single is going for- this is a sure hit.

Then we have EMI refugees Radiohead, who turn up with a 12 incher of remixes - Little By Little and Lotus Flower - from their recent 'King Of Limbs' and this is exactly why EMI and Coldplay are so lame and wrongheaded. Radiohead hit a dead end, and instead of doing like Coldplay and trying to repeat the formula and become a cheese act, they took a total left turn and made themselves interesting. These are very good, very heavy remixes that add dimensionality to the Radiohead originals, well mastered for vinyl, pretty good pressing, packaging a bit of a let down but it cost me less than the Coldplay 7 inch, well worth the money.

So there we have it. A great 7 inch from Wilco that is in the mould of the 60's single, a lame 7 inch from Coldplay that is an EMI accountant release, and a truly fascinating 12 inch of Radiohead remixes.

Pass on the Coldplay and pick up the Wilco and Radiohead. EMI today are owned by an American bank, and operated like an American bank - and you just know that means screwing the customers every time they can.

HEADS UP - coming very soon - Takatsuki TA- 300B !!

2011-07-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

Just arrived straight from Japan - the Takatsuki TA-300B, made in Japan 300B 2011 production. Just look at how these tubes are boxed and presented. I'll be starting to listen tomorrow and posting my impressions along the way.

All I can tell you for now is that they are indeed WE clones, the build quality is extraordinary, they are damn expensive but the wood box, brochure, thorough test results and the whole presentation reeks of utmost quality.

Hal Singer and David Murray on Marge CD:

2011-07-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

I will get into this a lot more soon, but there is no doubt that jazz not only thrives, but has been moving ahead strongly as a vital art form in France, as well as to a lesser extent in continental Europe, while falling past the state of a stagnant art form into being a narrow dinosaur music in America.

France embraced jazz in the 1920's, and even more so in the 40's, and today great, great jazz recordings are coming at a steady pace in France, while jazz on record has largely died in the USA - all that's left is dinosaur warhorse reissues of a rather narrow taste, or formulaic smooth jazz that is at best polite background muzak. Not so in France. When jazz started it's death spiral in America in the 1970's, many great artists started recording in Europe, and in fact, most did by far their best work there, largely unnoticed back home. I'm talking about folks like Kenny Drew, Duke Jordan, George Coleman, Max Roach, Clifford Jordan, Andrew Hill, and many many others.

Of the next generation, there was also David Murray.

Released in December last year on the Marge label, who have been around for quite some time, here is a CD of the 2010 meeting of the aging veteran Hal Singer and David Murray, two tenors coming together very much in the style of the classic Griffin/Lockjaw encounters, with a fine rhythm section in a fine blowing session. Aptlt titled "Challenge", the session is sraight ahead, as is the recording. No frills or gloss here. Just the real goods.

Murray tends to downplay his fire and altissimo cries here in deference to the more mellow toned Singer, who is very much in the Von Freeman mold tonally and pitch wise. Singer is actually a fine tenor with over a half century behind him, tracing his lineage back to the giants of the 50's who were his contemporaries. In a lot of ways, he's freer than Murray and just as hot, and has come to the point where he doesn't need to prove his chops - and because of that, he can blow rings around Murray if he cares to.

If you want to hear what jazz is up to these days, this one is a must have.

A bit of ECM new vinyl - Matthias Eick, Nik Bartsch's Ronin:

2011-07-04T07:28:00.001-07:00

The venerable ECM label has been putting out a limited, select number of titles on vinyl again over the last few years - all 180g Pallas pressings of exceptional quality. Some of the core titles are once again available - the Jarrett trio records, the Jarrett quartets with Garbarkek, most of Pat Metheny's ECM catalog, and a few others.

Tossed in there are select new titles on ECM released on vinyl. Nik Bartsch's Ronin "Llyria" is spread on two slabs of 180g black, and it is among the finer recent ECM titles. A fairly traditional horn led band playing very advanced, yet pretty inside originals that are quietly explosive and highly memorable. The playing and recording are exceptional.

Even better is Matthias Eick's "Skala", another more or less straight ahead configuration featuring the fine tenor of Tore Brunborg, dual pianos and dual drums and the excellent electric bass of Audun Elrien. Eick himself is a fine trumpeter who follows on from mid 60's Miles through Ian Carr, Kenny Wheeler and others to form a very unique, personal style. This fine musician is one to watch, and here he receives a fine pressing and recording that suits the sometimes introspective, highly expressive yet still gently swinging vibe. An excellent record that is highly recommended.

Don't dismiss those reissues on ECM either - the Jarrett quartets are very fine and easily outshine the North American pressings, and at least match the original German ECM's, as do the Metheny titles.

Have you checked out the Gueressen label yet??

2011-07-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, on this side of the Atlantic, many assume that the best vinyl reissues are coming out of America, on labels like Analogue Productions, Audio Fidelity, MOFI, ORG and others. While there is a lot of great, fine sounding stuff coming out from these labels, it tends to not veer too far from the well travelled path of warhorse classic rock and jazz. Sundazed sometimes mines the roads less travelled, and there are a few specialty labels that do so also.

But the real treasures are coming out on European labels, and the Gueressen label is up for discussion today http://www.guerssen.com/empresa.html?idioma=eng - a fine label out of Spain producing very high quality, low run pressings of lesser known, highly sought after gems from both major label catalogs and highly obscure private pressings. Virtually all are analog sourced and the production values are very high.

July's self titled album from 1968, is a minor masterpiece of psychedelic pop/rock that has been well known to fans of the genre for many decades. A UK band that had a following overseas but never played America, Gueressen have given this one a faithful flipback cover, a superb pressing and a remarkable sound that brings this obscurity to life.

Irish Coffee is another little known European gem, early 70's in the vein of Purple and Heep, just a smoking hot guitar here, and another excellent sounding remaster. Great 180g pressing too.

NGC-4594, a Connecticut band whose 1967 psychedelic masterpiece "What Really Means" has been a deep cult rarity for decades, is a fine example of the labels' eagerness to search out the most obscure masterpieces that could only be reissued in Europe. It's hard to think that something so cosmic could come out of 1967 - this was really very far ahead of it's time, and the Guressen reissue sounds like it was recorded yesterday. A trip that you just must take.

Killing Floor's "Out Of Uranus" came out on the UK Penny Farthing label in 1970. The Gueressen reisue is outstanding. This is a sought after hard rock/blues rock record that gets into more trippy space on ocassion, the band were quite well known in the UK and on the continent at the time, but never were mainsteam enough to go anywhere. Excellent sound, faithful cover, interesting insert, an interesting piece of minor history.

There's more out there on the fine Gueressen label, all very well remastered from true deep music lovers and I understand fully authorized and licensed.

There are many other fine labels in Europe doing heroic work, and to start, I highly recommend you get on board the Gueressen trip.

Emerson Lake and Palmer vinyl on Music On Vinyl:

2011-07-04T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'll keep it brief on this one. The new Music On Vinyl reissues of the Emerson Lake & Palmer catalog on vinyl sound like absolute dog turds. They're awful.

Case in point - the self titled first album. I have a German Island pressing that is excellent (if not quite as good as my deceased Japanese Cotillion pressing was) and has everything the Music On Vinyl doesn't - air, transparency, delicacy in the top end, openness, tonality (particularly in the acoustic piano parts). The MOV sounds like it's been poorly remastered from a bad digital clone. It's dull, lifeless, closed in, tonally wrong.

Avoid these turds. I usually like MOV stuff, even though I'm fully aware their sources are always digital. But these ELP vinyl reissues are bombs. The pressings aren't all that great either. Let's put it this way - my copy went straight to the used record store and that's rare for me. I hate taking the loss, but in this case, I was happy to get the thing out of my house ASAP - it's presence was offending the adjacent records in the rack.

The Fleetwood Mac Rumours 45 vinyl controversy:

2011-07-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Once again, the self serving Steve Hoffman has deliberately stirred up a controversy that serves only his own interests, and hurts record companies and music fans everywhere in the process.

The subject of the controversy is the recently issued 45 rpm vinyl of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, remastered by Huffness and Grey several years ago.

On his vanity board, Hoffman informed his followers that the European issue 45 Rumours is not mastered by him, and therefore should be avoided at all costs, dismissing it as inferior.

It's doubtful Hoffman even heard the European version, which from my understanding was more recently remastered that the Hoffman/Grey version, and by a renowned European mastering engineer who does not have a vanity board or the ego needs of Hoffman.

As a result, hordes of Hoffman lemmings and lurkers returned the copies they ordered from Amazon and elsewhere (Hoffmanites love to pick up music cheap at Amazon and then complain about it), which any way you slice it causes a fairly significant loss of real money for Amazon, Warners and other music retailers. Hoffman doesn't care. It's all about himself. Not about the music.

Speaking of which - I had a chance to compare the two directly over the weekend. Objectively.

They do sound different, but I could not say one sounds better than the other. As a broad conclusion, I suppose it's fair to say the Huff/Grey is warmer and smoother, favoring the mids as Hoffman followers prefer. The European 45 is perhaps more true, it has greater realism and transparency. Neither trumps the other.

Which in turn raises the question - is it fair or honest for a mastering engineer to trash another mastering of a title to promote his own?

Since the early days of vinyl, titles have been mastered locally in different regions - indeed, many on the Hoffman board are obsessive about comparing pressings from different countries.

In the vinyl heyday, it was unheard of for one engineer to trash another regions' engineer's work - unprofessional, at best, downright boorish and churlish at worst.

Yet here comes Hoffman again - known for trashing others far greater and more accomplished than he, like Bernie Grundman, Shawn Britton, Ken Scott, and so many others.

Look, I know that Hoffman is a shameless self promoter who plays very fast with the truth. He's the Sarah Palin of audiophile remastering - all he's got is a social media following of needy people who have disorders that make them attach themselves to him, despite his having rather little real knowledge and having a fairly sketchy resume and intellect. Like Palin, he knows how to play the social media following to suit his interests, and use it as a weapon when he cares to. And like Palin, there's little substance behind the social media facade - all there really is, is a group of rather odd, challenged followers who are cult like in their fervour for their master. Little is fact, it's all heavily controlled to suit a personal gain agenda, and overall it's verging on manipulating the weak and not too bright. It's all pretty sick.

But with Rumours, Hoffman is deliberately sabotaging the industry to suit his own agenda. It's a real shame, as that Euro Rumours 45 is really very good, and any who have attempted to say that on his forum have been quickly deleted. Audiophile totalitarianism at it's best.

A new Elton John vinyl reissue from Classic Reissues:

2011-07-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

One of the three greatest Elton John records, along with Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across The Water. Newly remastered from 24/96 source by the Classic Reissues label and mastered right here in Toronto.

Of course, I had an original UK pressing long ago, more recently, the best readily available reissue has been the European Universal pressing remastered very nicely and pressed at Pallas, as is this new version.

Don't be suckered into thinking that a high resolution digital source cannot give an outstanding result - just listen to Bernie Grundman's magnificent Doors vinyl for proof. Grundman's digitally sourced vinyl of Strange Days positively puts the earlier DCC vinyl, analog sourced, to shame, making it sound murky and dull. No breath of life in that platter. Now, more proof.

The Classic reissue, compared to the European Universal, is a whole different level. Breath of life in spades, a full, robust, dynamic sound that has deep transparency and air...and life...that the Universal just can't match.

The Universal is a fine remastering. The Classic Reissues is a positive reminder of how a great classic title can be given a new life, and is that not why we pursue this - to be able to hear a recording we know very well like it's the first time, once again?

That's the feeling I had listening to this. Like I was hearing it for the first time, again. That's what it's all about.

I know it's probably tough to get these outside Canada - it's not going to be a click on Amazon or a call to Elusive Disc this time. You'll have to make an effort, and you'll be rewarded for doing it. Hunt this down and get a copy, if you love this record, it will worth it.

The return of Simply Vinyl - John Martyn and T.Rex:

2011-07-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

A very welcome return to Simply Vinyl out of England, returning with a remarkable reissue of John Martyn's "Solid Air". Unlike the variable Simply Vinyl of the past, and the very unfortunate low grade bootleg Simply Vinyl clones that flooded stores after the original SV's demise (and are still around in large quantities), it seems like the new incarnation is making every attempt to put out a real top end product. The mastering is superb, onviously analog, easily exceeding originals in tonality and transparency. It's a classic record, pressed with care, mastered superbly, and care has been taken down to the cover and original palm tree Island label. A great start for the new Simply Vinyl.

Second reissue from Simply Vinyl is T.Rex's "The Slider" and again, the values here are very high. Original and subsequent pressings aren't really all that great sonically, and in truth the original source isn't all that sterling. Here it's as good a sound as it's going to get, and that is actually very good.

The Slider's a fun record, very trippy, the bridge between the original Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Bang A Gong pop band. I would think it's my personal favorite T.Rex album and a great choice by Simply Vinyl.

Search around for these, or order them straight from the UK as they don't seem to have much by way of distribution over here. Worth it.

A Tale of two Turrentines - Mintons on Music Matters vs. Analogue Productions 45 vinyl:

2011-07-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

I have previously commented that the sound on the Music Matters 45 rpm vinyl series is somewhat better on average than the Blue Note 45 vinyl from Analogue Productions, which has caused some minor consternation over at the Hoffman board (at least, until any mention of it gets censored there).

Finally, we have a perfect opportunity to see if that's a figment of my imagination or not, by comparing the Analogue Productions 45 of Up At Minton's Volume 1 to the Music Matters 45 of Up At Minton's Volume 2 - both recorded at exactly the same time on the same equipment by the same Rudy Van Gelder. Both remastered by the same team of Kevin Grey and Huf-huf-huffmann.

Should sound the same, right? Remastered by the same guys at the same studio on the same equipment. Same master tapes. How could they be different?

Well...they are, and that's just a fact. The AP sounds wimpier, Turrentine is a bit muted and further back, the top end is just a touch rolled back, and the bass is very softly pleasant.

Now turn to the Music Matters and Turrentine is punching out front and center, the bass has more punch and presence, and there is a snap on top. Not that the AP is bad - it's not. It's just much more nice. You know, it's more pleasant as in dinner party pleasant, nice and inoffensive, nice and easy to listen to, easy on the ears. The Music Matters is nice too - but it sounds more like a jazz record should, and how Stanley Turrentine should - more heft and punch to Turrentine, he cuts when he shouts and is far more out front, as he was on the bandstand the night this was recorded.

The Music Matters is up at Minton's. The AP is around the corner from Minton's, or maybe in the bathroom at Minton's.

Why the difference?

It's really pretty simple. Analogue Productions doesn't use a producer for their reissues. Chad Kassem gets the tapes shipped to whatever remastering engineer he is using and relies on that person's judgement. Music Matters has Ron Rambach and Joe Harley, the former and expert on Blue Note and the latter a renowned producer, in the mastering studio supervising.

That's the difference. The production team. That's why all other things being equal, as they are with Turrentine's "Minton" recordings, the Music Matters sound better.

Jerusalem vinyl reissue!

2011-07-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Picked this one up last month on a label I've never heard from before - Rockadrome. Reissue of a 1972 Deram record produced by Deep Purple's Ian Gillan.

Hell of a good record, very much in the Purple/Uriah Heep vein, very well played and sung, not exactly a lost masterpiece but more of a byway from an era where lots of great bands came and went, leaving behind minor gems like this one, that are now being resurrected by enterprising companies.

Excellent pressing. Excellent sound - whatever the source (I suspect analog) it's a very present, clear and warm sound that suits the music very well. I a way, records like this are far more interesting than another reissue of well tread material, and so I'm pleased to give this one 4 doobies and recommend the trip back 40 years.

WHITE HILLS H-P1

2011-07-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have a fondness, or maybe even a passion, for space rock bands like White Hills, even considering bands that might otherwise be mis-classified as metal, like Pelican, Gnot, Red Sparowes and others, as part of the cosmic rock camp.

Just released on a beautifully pressed 2 LP set, H-P1 is a highlight of the year, and not just because it comes in such a well done package (the cover printing, colored vinyl, the whole thing is just really cool), it is a great, great record that bridges the psychedelic sixties, the fusion era Mahavishnu type genre, and the nu-metal ethic in a very compelling way. Closer to Mogwai, I suppose, more psych and out though, more cosmic in their vision as the pieces stretch out and build, a trasportation vehicle, a gate to fantastic visions. If I still did acid, this would be the one.

Actually, it should probably come with a tab sheet. Just kidding.

If you want one hell of a journey that has the feeling of being a modern piece but still, someplace you feel you have been to long agao, this is a trip worth taking.

A big five doobies. I think I paid about $18 for mine. A bargain. Up there on my list of 2011 revelations.

Black Market Clash reissue on Drastic Plastic

2011-07-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

This may be the overlooked gem of the Clash catalog. Black Market Clash, here reissued by the excellent Drastic Plastic record on a 180g vinyl 10" platter that reproduces the Epic original straight down to the labels, features B- sides, dub mixes and the odd alternate on an EP that proves that more often than not, the best Clash was the B-side Clash.

Suffice to say - this is a fine reissue, that betters the rather mediocre sound and pressing of originals, and is a record that rocks straight through with a faithful remastering that has a clarity and depth not found on the original pressings. A major upgrade and a real keeper. A fantastic artifact of a pivotal period in music, from the pivotal band who were, at that moment, the best rock band in the world.

Highly recommended. Five doobies, and more. Limited press run that won't be around for long.

So far, Drastic Plastic has done the first Clash, Give 'Em Enough Rope, and this. Can we hope for London Calling (the Music On Vinyl reissue is merely ok) and even Sandanista? More likely Combat Rock, I'm guessing. Take them as they come.

MUSIC MATTERS ELVIN JONES 'GENESIS' - Best Music Matters so far!!

2011-07-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

Just announced as coming in July, so I'll give my thoughts on the new Music Matters 45 vinyl of Elvin Jones "Genesis", from the test pressing shown in the picture on the left.

In a word - this is AWESOME. Without a doubt, this is the best sounding Music Matters reissue to date, and that is saying a lot in such distinguished company.

First - a note to Hoffmanites. There is ECHO on this record - yes!! Artificial echo!! Like they did in the mid 70's and such! So go crazy obsessive right now and get over it.

There's nothing Music Matters have done that sounds anywhere remotely like this one. Elvin positively thunders all over it. I've never heard him so powerfully rendered on record. The impact of his kick drum is physically tangible, and there has been no unfortunate attempt to take the sizzle off his cymbal work (and Elvin knew cymbals better than anyone). Gene Perla's bass is just so powerful and present, and tight, and full. It has a real bass power like no other Blue Note. And that three horn front line!

When I put on Side 1, opening with Frank Foster's alto flute solo, my 6 year old daughter came down two flights of stairs and stood in front of the speakers, transfixed, without saying a word.

Any record that can pull a six year old so totally under it's spell is a rare achievement.

I can't say enough good things about "Genesis" - you just simply have to get past any false notion that Blue Note in the 70's is in any way lesser than the grandpa stuff from the 50's and early 60's. Compared to the good, but rather staid and straight ahead "Putting It Together", "Genesis" is by light years a superior record.

I totally get the Music Matters model. mix it up with a fair bit of "classic" 50's and early 60's stuff to play to the old white male audience that stopped evolving musically around 1965 (if they ever really evolved at all), and throw in some more advanced material but of a very 'classic' nature, timeless early avant garde Blue Notes such as Point Of Departure, Inner Urge, Out To Lunch, and so on.

That's all to the good. It gets some stuff that the "base" probably wouldn't otherwise go for and expands the horizons, without going to far out. no one else would have the courage to do these titles.

The downside is that, of the artists that conservative base thinks of as being "out", like Sam Rivers, Andrew Hill, Elvin Jones, Larry Young etc., the titles are their most conservative - and not necessarily their best. Fuchsia swing Song is a great record, but Contours is much better. Point of Departure is impossible to argue against, yet Judgement and Smokestack are IMO superior. Unity may be a classic, but Peace On Earth is ultimately more satisfying. And on it goes, even into the 'staple' Blue Note artists - early Turrentine, for example, well mined by Classic, Analogue Productions and Music Matters - is nowhere near later stuff like Common Touch, or his CTI material. Turrentine simply didn't become a fully formed player until after Blue Note. Later Horace Silver is similarly more advanced and satisfying - In Pursuit of the 27th Man, for example, or Serenade To A Soul Sister. Wayne Shorter's best Blue Note is "Schizophrenia", but just the title may hit too close to home for the Hoffman forum types.

There are even some odd choices in the premium reissue business, again, presumably aimed at satisfying the conservative old guy limitations - Art Blakey's all time stone classic "Mosaic" is nowhere to be found, yet the rather weak "Like Someone In Love" is slated for reissue soon.

Yet here we have "Genesis" - and it stands out like a beacon, it is glorious, it transcends any limiting definition, it is essential.

Order it now. It will be the reissue of the year, and it will sell out fast.

Now - Joe and Ron - how about looking into "Polycurrents" and "Coalition" as well? Keep digging into the 70's Blue Note. It's sadly neglected and there are gems there that far exceed anything BN did before. Like "Genesis".

While I'm showing some test pressings of Music Matters material, I hope I'm not breaking any confidence by turning to the Music Matters 45 vinyl of Art Blakey's "Indestructible". Since I mention "Like Someone In Love" already, with a bit of mild disrespect as I consider it an inferior title ( "Mosaic" would have been a hugely better choice) I think it fair that I whet a little Blakey appetite for what may be his finest hour on record ( or 40 minutes or so, anyways) - "Indestructible".

If you want to hear thunder and lightning, look no further than the opener "The Egyptian". Blakey drops bombs, and there is a Curtis Fuller trombone solo that has so much color and tonal edge that it almost pops the left speaker. Hoffman's fear of high end cymbal sizzle is fortunately nowhere to be found here - Blakey's cymbals are sizzling hot, rightly so.

I'll have more on "Indestructible" when it gets nearer to release, but suffice to say at this point that "Indestructible" in many ways marked the end of a certain period for Blue Note, is a high point both for the label and for Blakey himself, was a new starting point for Lee Morgan and a point of departure for Wayne Shorter, and will definitely be a high point for Music Matters.

SHUGUANG TREASURES CV181 (6SN7), 300B, KT-66 - good as NOS? YES!!

2011-03-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

As many know, over the past 15+ years, I have built a formidable collection of prime NOS tubes to feed my two amplifiers. Let's put it this way - I was into tubes in the early part of the tube revival, way ahead of the pack. And I didn't have two newborns to deal with, so I had some cash to burn through. And believe me, I burned through it acquiring tubes - and actually, at some point I started divesting of all the ones I found to be second tier, and actually probably ended up even or a bit ahead dollar wise as by the time I started culling my stash, prices had risen - a lot.

I was one of the very first, and without false modesty I can say still one of a handful of true experts on 6SN7, 6L6, 6V6, 45, 12AU7, 12AX7, 5U4 and other 5 volt rectifiers, and a bunch of others. There are maybe a dozen people in the world who can say they have had, and heard, virtually every 6SN7 produced in North America, Great Britain, Western Europe and elsewhere during the golden age of vacuum tube production. I have had dozens of pairs of metal base Sylvania's - A's and W's, and variants of both. B65's. True Holland made GT's. Ugly shit like 5692's - the best of the bad being Raytheons. Swedish 5692's. Visseaux. Neotron. Early Westinghouse GT's that nobody has ever heard. Rarities like RCA GTY's. Canadian GE GT's from 1953 that are super fine sounding. Dozens of Mullard CV181 variants. National Union, KenRad, Sylvania, RCA (I have here several pairs of the very first version RCA ever built), Tungsols (ever seen a square mouse ear Tungsol? Nope? I've got 'em.)The point of it all is - I know the 6SN7 like nobody's business, and every Russian or Chinese produced 6SN7 has been pure crap. Nowadays, you get tube dealers like Kevin Deal at Upscale extolling the virtues of some of these things trying to tag them as the new NOS, while a decade ago - while they had lots of good NOS to sell, they dismissed them.

I have been curious about the Shuguang Treasures tubes for awhile, though. For some reason, I thought - maybe now is the time to check out if things have moved along. They looked pretty nice in pictures I saw, even though I thought the CV181 designation is hucksterism at the level of selling fake Rolexes. But finally, I dipped into the right pocket seeing a well priced pair from a Chinese seller on Ebay (I figured buying as close to direct from the source is probably a good thing). I was expecting an ok sounding tube, but my expectations weren't too high - after all, I got rid of two dozen pairs of round plate Tungsols a few years back because I felt they were a bit tipped up and skittish on top, and lacked body in the presence range. Shit, I just about created the legendary Sylvania 6SN7GT 'Bad Boys' when I connected onto them with Neville in Australia. Can't be anywhere near those legends, right?

Well, not really. They may very well be just as good. In fact, they might be all around better. Crazy? No, not yet.

First - this tube has absolutely NO bass right out of the box. Like - zip. The bottle sounds nice out of the box - very nice. Right away, you know this is a contender. I has a hugely natural sound - neutral, relaxed, effortless, extended - except that bottom takes about 30 hours to fully develop. Once this tube settles in - all around, I can't say any NOS rivals it for absolute neutrality and natural musicality. It will never have the propulsive bass of a KenRad 1942/43. It's a hell of a lot tighter and more detailed bass, though. It's not the chocolaty sound of my favored 1951 National Union black glass, or the organic color of that tube. On the other hand, it has an absolutely deadly accurate tonality on everything that passes through it, and a much wider color spectrum that any NOS existing. And it throws this uncanny wide, deep stage that literally bounces off the back wall and comes hitting back at you from behind. Amazing.

Some people may find the bass lean. It isn't - it is just very tight and accurate, not at all bloated or smeared. As I switched back to a few NOS like those KenRads, or early grey glass RCA, or even the National Union, the bass was obviously fatter, but that is an inaccuracy of those tubes - they smear a lot of detail. All the bass a good amp needs is on the Shuguangs, without the cholesterol.

To get the prime forward spot in either of my amps is quite a feat and yet, since November, both have had Shuguang Treasures CV181's in place.

Throw out the preconceptions about Chinese tubes like I have had to and try these. Give them about 30 hours. This is the best 6SN7 made since the early 50's - and maybe ever.

By the way, there is a prominent online dealer trying to jack up his margins by making absolute bullshit claims about "grading" and having "premium" versions of this and other Shuguang Treasures tubes. If it makes you feel good and you have the money - and let's face it, a lot of supposed audiophiles hear better when they have spent a lot of money or have been told by someone that they can hand them a lot of extra dough and join some special club - go for it. If you just want the tubes, buy them from a Chinese seller and skip the bullshit. There are no premium or select versions. And honestly, I couldn't imagine the tube sounding any better, because the 4 pairs I have all sound perfect.

So, on I went to both the Shuguang Treasures KT-66 and 300B.

The KT-66 really does look like an original Genalex/GEC tube proportionally and construction wise. I have to be up front here - I've had many British KT-66's, from 1950's grey glass through to late production, and I thought it was a good tube, not a great one. It doesn't come anywhere near a WE350B, not actually near a 1940's Raytheon 6L6G for that matter. The Treasures KT-66 has the same out of box bass shyness the CV181 does. There isn't a modern 6L6 variant that comes close to the Shuguang, and here it's absolute neutrality and stability are the most prominent virtues. I'm still enchanted by them, and so they are still in my Komuro 300B amp. I would say that I prefer the Raytheon early 40's 6L6G, or even a Visseaux straight bottle. But those are clearly colored tubes, particularly the Visseaux. I would say that the Shuguang is the most true.

The 300B is a different story. Here there are a number of strong contemporary contenders. Right up, it tosses the overblown TJ/Full Music/Sophia/whatever punched plate totally to the side. It seems to me a better tube that the several variants of the KR I have around here. It's better than the stock EML 300B, and close but a bit back of the EML 300B-XLS, and back a bit further from the EML mesh 300B. No 300B comes close to the AVVT 300B mesh, I am keeping a few pairs of those for retirement (and if I don't make it, contact my kids about them, they'll need the money). Overall, the Shuguang Treasures 300B is the best value for money out there today. It's a very stable tube electrically, hum is low and stays low, and it has no funny arcing or other behaviors. Many won't notice any difference from superior tubes like the EMLs. It's a very fine tube and deserves to be experienced.

Catching up on Music Matters - Wayne Shorter Night Dreamer, Grachan Moncur Evolution

2011-03-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I checked in on Music Matters and their Blue Note 45 rpm vinyl series. Two of hottest have been on my table a lot lately - Wayne Shorter's first BN "Night Dreamer" with Tyner, Elvin, Morgan, and Workman. A great early session, it really needs no introduction. Morgan is perhaps the best trumpet foil for Shorter. The Coltrane rhythm section gives a nice Crescent-era vibe to things. Shorter's tunes are great. Although this is perhaps Shorter's most conservative, straight BN record, it is very worthy of the Music Matters treatment, and here (unlike Juju IMO) the team gets the sound nearly perfect - Shorter's dry tone is well reproduced, as is Morgan's hot sound, the cymbal work of Elvin is prominent and well integrated, the piano sound is natural. Without a doubt the best this record has ever sounded, and a sure sell out if it hasn't happened already. So get it.

And while you're at it, lobby Music Matters for Shorter's greatest Blue Note record - "Schizophrenia" which contrary to the cover and title, is a harmonically and compositionally advanced session that is still highly accessible, swings like a mf, and is the one I keep coming back to most often.

How about it, Ron and Joe? Schizophrenia. Bring it back.

On to Grachan Moncur's "Evolution", again with Lee Morgan, and with Jackie McLean's alto, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams and the always reliable Bob Cranshaw. It's clearly a seminal avant-garde date. McLean's tart tone is well reproduced, but I had a slight - very slight - sense that the sound here fell into Hoffman's unfortunate tendency to make things too polite, and also perhaps his unfamiliarity with avant garde black classical music. It ain't the opera here, and it sure as hell isn't going to work as background to an elegant suburban dinner party either. It's hard, tough, warm, vibrant, uncompromising music that DEMANDS the listener's complete absorption. As opposed to, say, a Three Sounds record, or a BN Grant Green, it's an out of body listen, rather than an experience in the body. It's out. It's fantastic. It'll take you places you'll never find again.

Most remarkable about this record is Bobby Hutcherson's vibes. They have a unique combination sonically of a metallic, percussive warmth that no other version of Evolution can get close to.

But then again...the sound of those vibes on Music Matters "Destination Out" by Jackie McLean eclipses even what is on Evolution, but that's a story for another day (soon).

If you haven't got Night Dreamer yet, get it now. If you have the spirit to go to an even more out of the way place, get Evolution too.

STEVE GROSSMAN "Homecoming" new CD from the underappreciated tenor giant!

2011-03-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

A new CD from Japan, showing just how badly American labels and music lovers have fallen. Why on earth would a new recording made in NYC from a giant like Steve Grossman only be released in Japan? I have my feelings, but they run along the lines of plastic disposable culture, voyeuristic shallow celebrity-ism, and the conservatism and living in the past of the genteel middle aged jazz buyers that still remain in the USA.

Grossman first cam up in Miles Davis' electric band of the early 70's, replacing Wayne Shorter for all intents and purposes. He was a fiery fusion player who mainly wailed on soprano, often got edited out by Miles and Teo, never really was accepted by Miles, and went on to be in Elvin Jones band in a two horn front line with Dave Liebman. Stints with others followed, but drug problems marred his career (coke mostly as I recall) and he disappeared from the scene, re-emerging some years later in Europe to make a fine string of records where he dropped the soprano and became a tenor player of outstanding technique that abandoned all fusion trappings and favored a straight ahead, highly advanced hard bop style. During his dark period, Grossman's tenor technique took massive steps forward, to the point where he is today among, if not the, best tenor players in the world.

But nobody on this side of the Atlantic knows about it.

So a recording by Steve Grossman in 2010, with a New York band backing him made on his home soil is just a great event, on a par with Dexter Gordon's late 70's homecoming.

And a wonderful record it is.

Grossman expands his sound by adding latin percussion to most tracks, guitar and/or trumpet on a few, along with a strong core trio backing plucked from New York's A-list. The material is largely standards with two Grossman originals. Tunes like Ceora, Una Mas and others are given a latin treatment, with hard straight ahead blowing by Grossman that demonstrate a deep technique, big brawny tone and the type of soloing that gives whoever is up next an energy and and emotional lift that is pure excitement. The lone ballad, an unsentimental take on In A Sentimental Way,shows just how good a straight bopper can be on a ballad if he doesn't try to be a soppy Ben Webster.

Grossman is a giant, yet largely forgotten. Search out this CD (I got mine from HMV Japan) and be rewarded. If I have any reservations at all, it's that Steve Grossman's live NYC appearances last summer were simply red hot, and I hope that some of those were recorded also. In the meantime, this is a very, very welcome return.

BLUES MAGGOS on Sundazed vinyl - the trip of the month!

2011-03-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

Sundazed come through with to stone psychedelic classics from the Blues Magoos - what other label would even think of doing the Blues Magoos?

What a treat. Two underground psychedelic garage slabs of pure fun. Electric Comic Book is the best of the two, and sounds better at that, but both are great records, wonderfully remastered, well pressed (United sure has come to be much more reliable) and it seems that Sundazed are getting with the program and starting to use polylined inner more and more. Good job, that.

Psychedelic Lollipop is the earlier record, and a bit less trippy, but really, this band was just a fun garage band that got into the psychedelicness of the times.

I loved the recent Sundazed reissue of the Yardbirds "Little Games" which was a real revelation for me. These two are even better. Highly recommended, particularly Electric Comic Book. It even has the comic book inside!

NEW RELEASE Round Up - BEADY EYE, REM Collapse Into Now vinyl!

2011-03-08T08:43:00.001-08:00

New releases on vinyl from Beady Eye (Oasis minus Noel) and R.E.M. to catch up on.

Let's go to Beady Eye first. Two LP set on 180g vinyl that is a pretty nice pressing in a good gatefold, and that cover is pretty cool. I think this is a better record than the last several Oasis LP's and Liam is having a whole lot more fun. Nothing to take too seriously here. A good solid rock record with a great British vibe and attitude.

REM's Collapse Into Now is a surprisingly strong record after the band had been drifting on several prior records. Not a bad song on the record and this could be considered a return to the earlier REM, from a mid life perspective. The playing is at a level only mid career musicians can really achieve, and this is one I can highly recommend (and a good Warners pressing also) - for a change for REM.

TRAFFIC John Barleycorn Must Die 2011 Deluxe Edition:

2011-03-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

Just in from Amazon UK (with the usual shitty careless packaging) is the 2011 Deluxe 2 CD set of the classic Traffic record, John Barleycorn Must Die.

Disc one is the original album, sans bonuses, newly remastered. Although the last remastering was roundly criticized on the loser boards, I found it to be pretty good, particularly considering it's no great recording to start with. I have a Japanese SHM-CD of that remastering from a few years ago, and truthfully, while there are differences - principally the much more powerful bass of the new version - overall I prefer the SHM-CD, as I find tonality on the new remaster to be not as true, and nowhere is this more so than in the Fender Rhodes sound on Empty Pages. If you don't have this on CD, feel good to get this. If you do, purchase depends on the attractiveness of the second disc.

The prior remaster had two totally lame, unfinished bonus tracks that highly detracted from the experience and which should never have come out. Thankfully, they are not here, but alternate mixes of Every Mothers Son (no big difference) and Stranger To Himself (the electric guitar pushed back in the mix and an acoustic guitar previously barely audible moved up) show that time after time, the right decisions were made originally. There is also an early version of the title track that is different, charming, rougher, and has an organ part that while interesting was wisely omitted for the released take.

Of more interest is the unreleased Live At The Fillmore record here in what must be pretty much it's entirety and intended release configuration. It's not hard to see why it was not released. Honestly, the band as a trio on stage had multiple challenges to overcome, as any bass had to be provided either by Winwood or Wood on organ bass pedals, through Rhodes bass, or other contrivances. This is a major impediment, and though the performances are spirited, they are a bit rough and thin, and soon after this, Traffic dealt with the issue by expanding their touring lineup. It is an interesting set, though - two cuts, in alternate night performances, were on the prior CD issue. All in all, I like the live set, so I think it's a worthwhile purchase, just don't expect any sonic revelations from the main album.

On a more trivial note, more worthy of the SHTV forum, I thought Universal screwed up the cover by oddly moving the Traffic logo to the top. Take a look and see what I mean - it just looks a bit weird. I'm keeping my SHM-CD though - it has the cover right.

Sonic Youth - Simon Werner A Disparu vinyl LP

2011-03-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Another candidate for record of the year 2011. Sonic Youth return with what will come, over time, to be considered a masterpiece - and it's a soundtrack album, go figure. Simon Werner A Disparu is the soundtrack to a French film. It's all instrumental. It touches back to the Sonic Youth roots in a grungy at times, trippy, experimental vibe, but looks forward too, in it's soundscapes and textures that in some ways place Sonic Youth in the camp of bands like Pelican, Red Sparowes and other instrumental rock sound painters, although nothing here can remotely be considered metallic. There is a lot of melody, an intricacy and sentiment at the heart of this great music. Guitar is often at the fore, although there is piano at times also, and the textures of the rhythm section are hypnotic.

The vinyl, no doubt digitally sourced, is quiet and sounds fantastic. A five doobie experience to be sure. Highly recommended.

WIRE Red Barked Tree on vinyl - great album, junk pressing.

2011-03-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

The return of Wire, the great UK underground band, is very welcome and their new "Red Barked Tree" is quickly becoming one of my favorite records of 2011. This is a record that, along with the new Gang Of Four, shows that 1980's acts can return just as vital, or even more so, when they have something new to say and aren't just reuniting for a cash grab or to play the oldies.

Red Barker Tree is a tight, powerful and exciting statement from the reconstituted Wire. Unfortunately, the vinyl qualifies as among the worst pressings in history. Virtually EVERY pressing of this album is defective - and so far, I have tried 5 at home, and looked at over 30 pressings in local record stores - virtually all are defective, ranging from multiple dimples in the vinyl on all, to major scuffing and no fill, even to a sandpaper like texture on a number of second sides. I finally got one that, while it has dimples and a scraping sound through most of side 1's first track that is present on all, doesn't play too badly. But still, this is a case of drop dead great music ill served by some numb brained decision to cut costs by using the worst eastern bloc pressing plant that could be found.

But get this record. It's one of the best rock records of the year, at once a return to and a vital 2011 take on the new wave/post-punk era. You just might want to go for the CD on this one.

NEW vinyl reissue label - CLASSIC REISSUES - Gentle Giant - Harmonium - awesome!!

2011-03-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Go nuts, friends in the USA - there is a new vinyl reissue label on the scene, and it's only for us Canadians.

Of particular interest is the new reissue of Gentle Giant's Acquiring The Taste - in my opinion, along with Three Friends, the best of the GG catalog. And what a reissue this is! It's a Pallas pressing, very well done - flat, clean, dead quiet. The cover is to a very high standard, a great quality job and a well reproduced gatefold - easily better than an original. There is an original Vertigo swirl label - cool touch.

The sound is amazingly good. Immediately I noted the very full, warm bass. There is an uncanny clarity and depth, but still, a warm, vibrant, 'alive' sound. The midrange is warm and full - unlike many contemporary American remasterings, there is no scooping out of the mids to produce that 'audiophile' tinkly sound that appears on the surface to be more clear and detailed, but misses the music by a long shot.

If you can get it sent to you, pay the bucks and do it. It's that good.

Harmonium was a very popular French Canadian proggy/folkish group with a large Quebec following that still exists today. Their first self titled album has been reissued on the Classic Reissues label along with their more proggy and better second, Si On Avait Besoin D'Une Cinquieme Saison. Both sound far better here than originals and are to the same high standard sonically as the Gentle Giant. No doubt these reissues will sell like hotcakes in Quebec and French Ontario. Many thanks to Classic Reissues for getting these back into print.

A great start to what hopefully will be a major new player in the vinyl reissue market. Support them by placing an order now.

HEAVENLY SWEETNESS BLUE NOTE VINYL - Sam Rivers, Blue Mitchell!!

2011-02-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

Last year I wrote about the Heavenly Sweetness vinyl label out of France, where the real jazz is still happening. Their first batch of Blue Note titles was adventurous and generally very well done, but let down by the shitty inner sleeves they used that caused a lot of damage to the otherwise high quality pressings.

I got some of the latest 2011 batch recently, and that is all fixed - they now come in a high quality polylined inner, quite thick - better, actually, than the poly lined inners I regularly get from American manufacturers. So here we have a very high quality product in every respect - so on to the music.

This latest batch is still quite adventurous, the Blue Mitchell "Bring It Home To Me" is a great middle Blue Note date with the great Junior Cook on tenor, Harold Mabern at the piano, and Gene Taylor & Billy Higgins bringing up the rear. Th sound is uniformly excellent - vibrant, detailed, deep - clear, with a solid bottom and a good midrange presentation - more extended than an original Blue Note, a bit less warm and fuzzy, all around a great example of modern analog vinyl mastering. Mitchell has long been under-rated (some of his later Mainstream label are even better than his more conservative BN's), Cook is, well...a cooker. He's hot here. Mabern is funkily punchy, and Higgins is an always reliable groover. Highly recommended.

Out of another planet is Sam Rivers great "Contours", probably his finest Blue Note recording. Although Fuschia Swing Song is regarded more highly by many in the more conservative BN crowd, Contours is much more representative of Rivers' vision, and has a better supporting cast - Hancock, Carter and Chambers. This record is at once free, swinging, deeply exploratory, and solidly in the mainstream of the mid-60's avant-garde that follows records like Crescent, Out To Lunch and the like. It's great, great record and essential to any good collection.

Heavenly Sweetness has given Contours all the love it deserves, the original NY BN I have here is very good, but lacks on the bottom end - no doubt that is what the tapes give. Here, Carter is somewhat more forward, but not so much so that one would think an artificial bass boost has been given. Rivers' great tone - on tenor, he used at this point a 1950's SML tenor that had a bigger bore and consequently a darker tone than the typical Selmer MkVI most tenors used, and that shows here well as it should.

Both highly recommended, particularly the Rivers. Look for Duke Pearson's The Phantom to come soon. Although overall the sound of these can't quite match the exemplary Music Matters 45 rpm BN series, it comes very close to the Analogue Productions BN's - and bests that series by many light years in choice of titles.

Mogwai Special Moves on vinyl!

2010-11-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

One of the finest live records I've had the pleasure of listening to. Renowned post rock pioneers Mogwai come with a double live LP of extended post-rock instrumentals that are perfect in every way, each a trip and beautifully recorded. The vinyl is very good, a blessing as the pieces are very dynamically varied and often come to very quiet, delicate and nuanced passages that need a quiet surface.

If you love Meddle era Pink Floyd as much as I do, you must hear this record and if you are prone to flashbacks, you'll surely have a few here. One of the best releases of 2010.

The last Hank Jones on Japanese vinyl:

2010-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

The lengthy and distinguished career of the last Jones brother comes to a close on these two superb recordings only issued in Japan.

First is "Last Recordings", a quintet date adding Roy Hargrove's trumpet and Raymond McMorrin's tenor to the Hank Jones Great Jazz Trio.

Notwithstanding the valedictory nature of the affair, Jones no doubt had no idea this would be his final statement, so it's a lively and elegantly played affair that has Hank at the height of his powers and even stretching a bit by the quintet format. Fine playing by Hargrove and McMorrin. Superbly recorded (the vinyl sourced from DSD digital and sounding great) and the usual flawless Japanese pressing.

Nearly as good is Hank Jones "Jam At Basie", a live recording at the Japanese club that has a great live vibe about it and a bit more solo space for all. Basically the same band as "Last Recordings" minus Hargrove.

Two fitting tributes to a giant now silenced.

Hard to find on vinyl as these sold out very quickly in Japan, but I understand that a second pressing was done and may be found at Eastwind. Get them if you can.

Catching up with ECM on CD: Manu Katche, Beethoven, Nik Bartsch's Ronin:

2010-11-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

ECM have been stepping up to the plate with some great titles on great sounding Cee-dees this year, and here are a few.

Manu Katche's Third Round is exceptional. It evokes a late 60's vibe, a late night, soulful jazz vibe, much in the vein of a lot of the late 60's/early 70's material that came from Atlantic but without the dated production and questionable Joel Dormn choices. Having an electric piano on several tunes is part of evoking that era, also, Pino Paadino's unexpected superb bass and the tenor of under-rated Tore Brunborg - channeling the masters of the era - combine with Katche's superb sense of rythmic complexity that never loses a soulful beat to make a simply excellent record that gets 5 doobies and a high recommendation.

On the classical side, a superb Beethoven piano concerto reading of the 4th and 5th by Till Fellner, Kurt Nagano and the excellent Montreal Symphony. Fellner has a light tough, power in reserve, and a lyrical sense that is superbly accompanied by the insightful and brilliant Nagano. Given an excellent, spacious recording that integrates the piano well yet doesn't submerge it, this one is a high recommendation that is off the traditional label mill giving a fresh, vibrant look at these warhorses.

On the right, we have Nik Bartsch's Ronin and 'Llyria', a fine record of abstract yet grounded performances with a traditional quartet + percussionist. Great atmospheric sound well suits the abstract, but accessible modern 'jazz' music that is a 4 doobie recommendation.

Interesting that the best jazz - in fact, the only vibrant black classical music scenes are in Europe. More on that soon.

Mavis Staples hits with the best record of 2010: You Are Not Alone

2010-11-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

Talk about a soulful revelation. Mavis Staples comes back (although she never left) with a record that is the high water mark in soulful, gospel tinged authentic music.

There is no real need to go through this one song by song, it's all good - no, it's all GREAT - and every song is a deeply felt revelation and joy. One hell of an uplifting record on so many levels, and for me, this must surely be the record of the year.

Jeff Tweedy as producer doesn't turn it into a Mavis with Wilco affair - his input is to let Mavis be Mavis, and give her the settings and environment that make her music sing. That he does, in spades. A remarkable 'Muscle Shoals' type backing that most reminds me of what Dusty In Memphis might be without the dated Atlantic production.

often, we have records that are good and get listened to once or twice before being swallowed up in the collection, raraely to come out again.

This isn't one of them. You Are Not Alone is the perfect record for our times, bringing back those feelings from the 60's and 70's and making them available and relevant again.

Please get this record. The vinyl pressing is superb, included the full CD (you WILL be taking this one into the car regularly!) and costs under $20.

Five major doobies or even more. Essential.

Zabriskie Point on Music On Vinyl, a Pink Floyd rarity:

2010-11-15T13:20:00.001-08:00

Here comes the Pink Floyd hardly anyone knows about - the remastered and expanded Zabriskie Point soundtrack on Music On Vinyl. A three LP set at a fair price, the original soundtrack LP had a variety of pieces by a range of 60's artists, all good, with some key pieces by Jerry Garcia and other by Pink Floyd in it's 'soundtrack' period heading towards 'Meddle' territory. Indeed, the two additional Lp's feature extended works, mostly instrumental, by both those artists, and they are the major selling point of the set - the Floyd stuff in particular is very close to Meddle vibe and is fabulous, spacey extended stuff with great doses of spaced Glimour guitar and Wright organ. This really presages the post-rock instrumental world that exists today with bands like Red Sparowes, Pelican, Isis and Grails among many others.

Superb sound, a few defects on the LP's that marred the openings of 3 sides, overall a real service to bring this material back by Music On Vinyl. Five doobies all around.

Duke Ellington Such Sweet Thunder Pure Pleasure vinyl reissue:

2010-11-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Great to see Duke Ellington's Such Sweet Thunder reissued on the Pure Pleasure label. A beautiful, quiet, flat pressing on 180g vinyl, mastered perfectly by Ray Staff.

Great stuff. An essential Duke record, and the sound here is fantastically vibrant and full throated. Brassy bit, warm full bass, lots of air around the band, a great remastering job. Highly recommended. One of Duke's best.

New Esoteric digital - Brahms and Mahler:

2010-11-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Two new remasters on the outrageously expensive Japanese Esoteric label, the first to venture in to the EMI catalog.

Klemperer's reading of Mahler's Das Lied Von Der Erde is superb, essential, and perhaps unmatched. There is some controversy about the sources of Esoteric remasterings, rumored to be from a high rez copy of the original analogue tape rather than directly mastered from analogue. Whatever. How it sounds is what matters, and whether the price charged offers sufficient value relative to the sonic merits. Overall, I'm not convinced that the price to sonic revelation relationship is sufficient, but then again, I buy all the ones that interest me, and so far, I haven't been disappointed - even though I hardly feel the sound is the last word for any of the titles I have.

The sound here is wonderful - very open, transparent, and detailed. It presents a big, open, dimensional image with oodles of definition and placement in a 3d space, wide and deep. Way ahead of the most recent EMI mastering on the "Legends" series.

Where it fails is where it reveals it's source limitations - it still has a digitalness about it, and doesn't achieve the top flight in tonality. That's not to say it's bad on those counts - it's just not quite at the top level. Which it should be for the price. Still, there is no question that it is the best digital representation of this record by a long shot, and it's unlikely another physical format reissue will ever happen.

Same goes for the Brahms Violin Concerto by Oistakh backed by Szell, a great reading in every sense. The sound is wonderfully 3 dimensional, but my vinyl version beats it in the tonality department.

Worthwhile reisues and very good sound if price is not a factor. I do prefer Japanese XRCD classical remasters, but these are a valid alternative on their own merits.

And another from ORG - Joni Mitchell - Wild Things Run Fast :

2010-11-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a case of a record that I was never terribly fond of, that all of a sudden makes perfect sense and snaps into focus courtesy of a great remastering.

ORG, thanks to another outstanding Bernie Grundman remastering, have brought Joni Mitchell's 1970's Wild Things Run Free to life. No need to go over how great the sound here is - it's a typical Grundman job, hugely lifelike and natural, with a transparency and tonality that is colourful and organic, making what long seemed to me a cold, disjointed sounding record into a warm, deeply human work.

Interestingly, I pulled out the Warner's reissue of Joni Mitchell's Blue, remastered by the "breath f life" guy, and it does indeed sound good - but does not have the real 'breath of life' that Grundman routinely achieves, which to me, isn't just warmth - it's transparency, organic tonality, power and refinement.

Be prepared to hear this one like it's the first time, with open ears, and you may discover it anew as I did. Highly recommended.

Tom Petty - Damn The Torpedoes - ORG red vinyl LP reissue:

2010-11-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

This one just arrived from Warners mail order in the special limited red vinyl. First bought this record way back in the day and it's been one that comes off the shelf very often, it's just a stone cold classic and without question Petty's best record.

Mastered by the venerable Bernie Grundman, the sound is impeccable - just the right combination of the openess and transparency Grundman is known for, and a great punch and power, tremendous bass punch and power, and open and airy top end, very three dimensional - everything about this is so way ahead of any other pressing it makes for an essential reissue and it gets five big doobies for sound and the power of this great recording.

I got a clean, quiet, beautiful red vinyl pressing and it is just too cool. The second disc has some bonus tracks that range from great to inessential, but it's the main record that is the point here and for the price, it's a must have - even if not for the fair price. There wasn't much advance notice of this one coming out, which makes it even more of an unexpected pleasure when considering the frequent misses in the vinyl reissue game these days - ranging from the unpredictable MOFI, to the comical delays that plague Analogue Productions. Hope there's a lot more coming like this.

A Tale of Two Boxes - Brian Eno and Syl Johnson

2010-11-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

Two box sets arrived last week that show how TO do a great box and how NOT to do one.

Let's look at Brian Eno's Small Craft On A Milk Sea first - a pretty good new release by Eno, and with a "deluxe" box that makes an obvious attempt to cash in on the (supposedly) value added trend.

The music - unquestionably good. The deluxe box, which I got totally ripped off on Eno's site buying (the link to the "collectors edition" actually takes you to purchase the standard deluxe edition, unknowingly, and at the exorbitant price of 80 GBP plus shipping, is an exercise in getting as much as possible from fans while producing a product cutting every corner. The box itself - nice enough, but nothing special quality wise. The three 12 x 12 interior books are cheaply produced and mine had one totally crushed on the inside. The records - 2 180g slabs - are also cheaply produced, quite noisy - which is death for an ambient title like this. Cheap, and careless. Placed inside shitty paper sleeves too. You get two CD's - one of the album, and another of a few rather meaningless bonus cuts.

All in all, a cheap and disappointing presentation that comes across as a shallow money grab and is a great disservice to the fine music it contains.

On the other end of the spectrum comes an outstanding box set of Syl Johnson's "Complete Mythology", essentially all Syl Johnson's recordings up until his ill fated run on Hi Records in the 1970's. For those who don't know Syl Johnson, he is a 1960's soul shouter, much in the vein of the great Stax, King, and even harder Motown artists. He's one of the greats who never made it as big as his music says he should have.

All the music on this set is GREAT. Hands down killer material. And here, we have a box set that is really done right in a big way.

Four CD's that cover the material chronologically in very good sound (that varies understandably given the period and sources), mostly from original masters. And a whopping SIX vinyl LP's that are essentially all the LP's Syl Johnson issued up to 1971. The CD's have more material than the LP's as they include singles and other non-album material, and that's a nice touch. Makes them complimentary rather than a straight duplication. The vinyl is quiet and it sounds good. VERY good. All of it.

A nice lengthy full sized booklet very well done, decent cover reproductions on each LP, a great cover - and I paid about $90 bucks !!

You can't go wrong with this Syl Johnson box. It's fabulous. Reissue of the year candidate from where I sit.

Contrast the crappy value and presentation of the Eno with the outstanding value and presentation of the Syl Johnson and you'll understand why the death of the majors can't happen soon enough.

Two thumbs up - and all the other fingers, toes and whatever - for the Syl Johnson on the Numero Group label. This one will be out of print fast.

NEW Monster Magnet - Mastermind - totally kills!!

2010-11-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

Great new record by Monster Magnet "Mastermind", a band I had not heard until now, and I picked this one up purely on a lark and despite the terrible cover. This record just rocks all over!
EVERY tune rocks and talk about a perfect car record! This is the band that Iron Maiden SHOULD be today. Hard rock for sure - verging on metal, but not of the doomy variety - more like a more tuneful Black Sabbath or a poppier Metallica, relatively short, tight tunes, hot guitar work, a band that lays down a beat like it's nobody's business - get this one. It's just a totally fun hard rock record.

Got it on vinyl, comes with a really good sounding CD, good price, and completely worth it. Five big doobies and this one is getting a lot of plays over here.

A BIG WOW from Music Matters - Andrew Hill - Donald Byrd - Joe Henderson - Horace Silver!!

2010-10-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

A great box arrived from Music Matters on Friday, just ripe for a long weekend here. Couldn't wait to get these 4 titles going, and I picked Horace Silver's Song For My Father to cue up first. Now, it has been discussed elsewhere that the title track on Song For My Father has been taken for this reissue from digital, required to repair the wonky wobble on the intro. If I hadn't been told that, I would never have known. Not only is that wobbly intro corrected for the first time in my listening history, the sound overall bears no hint of digital - which not only goes to show that digital to vinyl need not be feared dogmatically, but shows the care and high standards sonically Music Matters operates on. They even moved the log on the cover (magnificently reproduced, by the way, with astonishing realism and color) to give clarity to the lettering. Nice.

But then - I flipped on Donald Byrd's Hand In Hand, which I have felt is a good session, but not quite up to others like Royal Flush, Catwalk and the Half Note records. Wow. On Witchcraft, the first tune, Pepper Adams comes roaring out with that big, metallic sound he had, gloriously rendered like never before. Despite a nasty RTI gouge I just couldn't believe what I was hearing - the bass is fantastic on this one, Walter Davis is given a wonderful sound, and Byrd himself is sweet and powerful. On the tracks with Charlie Rouse on tenor, the contrast between the rubber mouthpieced Rouse and the metal Berg equipped Pepper couldn't be more pronounced. For a record I had some mixed feelings on, the Music Matters pushed this one all the way to the top.

On to Andrew Hill's Point of Departure. BIG WOW. The sound here is just staggering. Ever line and strand of the front line is clearly delineated in a big, open spce with all the color that the combination of Dolphy, Henderson and Dorham bring to the table. Dolphy's bass clarinet hits with astonishing power and tone deep down, Dorham is a darker bronzed king, Tony Williams drop bombs and his kick drum literally expoloed - and there is a crisp, clean top end for the cymbal work that is very welcome. And of course - Andrew Hill, who gets a wonderful piano tone that is big and dynamic. This one is all killer - in my view, a better record that Out To Lunch actually, and the sound here must be considered a high point of the Music Matters series. It's got Richard Davis too - a big warm bass sound.

If you get one Music Matters reissue this year, this has got to be the one. It'll go out of print in a flash.

Last up - the Joe Henderson Inner Urge, with Tyner and Elvin coming across from Coltrane's band, and Bob Cranshaw on bass. A far better record that Page One (issued in the Analogue Productions 45 series), the sound here is very bit as good as on the Andrew Hill. On El Barrio, Henderson's split tones and high register dynamics are simply breattaking - all the emotional power comes rushing trough. Cranshaw is a rock and the bass sound is huge. Elvin is Elvin - powerful, and there is a drum solo on the first track that just about knocked my speakers over. Massively good.

This series goes from strength to strength - and these four are a new high spot. Keep it going, Joe and Ron. These show the effort is worth it.

By the way, I have commented before on my feeling that the sound on the MM 45's sound much better than the AP Blue Notes. These prove it without a doubt, and to top it off, Ron has made a huge effort to get the covers more than right - they are far better than an original Blue Note, and put the sloppy work on the Analogue Productions Blue Notes to shame.

Keep them coming, I'm in.

Ron and Joe - get to more Andrew Hill. Smokestack and especially Judgment!

And more Henderson please. Like - Mode For Joe.

Horace Silver's best is still not mined out there - how about In Pursuit of the 27th Man (Brecker!) and even You've Gotta Take A Little Love (I know - cheesy cover, but a killer lineup).

When I'm wrong, I'm really wrong - AP's A Love Supreme 45 rpm vinyl:

2010-08-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

I few months ago I declared that I had no interest in the AP Coltrane - A Love Supreme 45 rpm, being quite happy with the Kevin Grey mastered Speakers Corner edition, and not being interested in giving Analogue Productions any more of my hard earned bucks for another warhorse retread along the bazillion dip road. It didn't help that "myvinylreview.blogspot.com", a shill site by a Hoffman lemming who gets what are obviously free 'review' copies to pimp, gave it a good review.

But Joe Harley emailed me to say that the AP Love Supreme 45 is awesome, so I ordered one along with my last order from Acoustic Sounds. Joe is right as usual - it's awesome. Not quite as good as the Bernie Grundman ORG Coltrane titles, but outstanding of it's own merit and highly recommended. The immediacy and transparency, with Coltrane right out in front three dimensionally, is spooky. Why could the Hoffman botched AP "Coltrane" not have been done as well?

I also picked up the AP Ellington/Coltrane 45 vinyl, here, a far from essential title is given sound not quite up to the standard of A Love Supreme (no doubt, all involved were aware of the status of ALS and likely went to greater lengths to give it better sound), it's still very good. But the reality of this date is that the combination did not really work, Coltrane never cuts loose or catches fire, and Duke is not in his element. An occasionally interesting curiosity, but not worthy of a series like this except for the obvious sales value of two such revered names.

Lastly, I got around to picking up the Harley produced Anthony Wilson Power of Nine record, and it is most highly recommended - a great modern date that is accessible and challenging at the same time, and sonically demonstrates that a sound can be achieved today that far exceeds even the best remasterings of vintage material. Even Diana Krall's presence on one cut doesn't detract from the remarkable achievement here.

Nic Jones - Penguin Eggs - 200g vinyl reissue of a true gem.

2010-08-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

Not too many people have even heard (or heard of) Nic Jones "Penguin Eggs". That is a crime. This 1980 record, an obscurity of huge influence, is purely acoustic folk that is of such a level of sheer virtuosity and craftsmanship that no matter what one's view of the folk genre, it is a must have in any good collection.

Jones had a brief career in the 1970's, a contemporary of Thompson, Swarbrick, Renbourn and many others on the UK folk revival scene. What distinguished him was his absolute virtuosity as a guitarist and his deep songwriting skill. Unfortunately, a horrific car accident shortly after the release of Penguin Eggs ended his career, although he still occasionally appears in England - but the skill he demonstrates on Penguin Eggs was never again possible.

There is little point in going through this record in detail. From the first note, it is so thoroughly captivating and engaging that words aren't useful. Every song is simply so tuneful and masterful that the record cannot help but immediately capture and not let go until long after the final notes. Whether a rock fan, or a jazz fan, this is a must have record. Jones makes Crosby and Stills - even Neil Young - sound amateurish by comparison, and makes Grant Green sound like a one note plucker. He's that good. But leaving virtuosity aside, these songs are simply fabulous and will stay with you long after the playing is forgotten.

A must. Five and more big doobies here, especially for this 200g UK pressed reissue from the master tapes on the Three Black Feathers label (beware a very inferior pressing not from the original tapes also in circulation and more commonly available. Get it while you can.

Catching up on Blue Note XRCD - Johnny Coles, Lee Morgan & Dexter Gordon new releases!

2010-08-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

After a considerable delay, the Blue Note XRCD series from Audio Wave seems to be rolling again. That's very good thing.

Johnny Coles' Little Johnny C I do not have in any other format. It's IMO not the greatest Blue Note by far, primarily because of Coles himself, who has a smallish tone and a rather limited facility. Not terribly imaginative or accomplished as a soloist either - even on this, his best record, his solos seem to go nowhere and lack structure and cohesion. However, the supporting cast largely makes up for it - Joe Henderson, the underrepresented Leo Wright, Duke Pearson - top flight crew, and I have to admit hearing this record in such superlative sound makes it almost a candidate for reconsideration.

Not so Dexter Gordon's Doin Allright - one of the best Blue Note Dexters. Here the sound is once again exemplary - actually, way more than just exemplary. It's fantastic, massively transparent and deep, detailed, tonally just like hearing Dexter in the flesh (and I have, on several occasions). It doesn't necessarily displace the Music Matters 45 rpm vinyl in my affections - but it does show that a great CD can in many ways exceed vinyl even if it doesn't have those unique organic qualities of a good slab of wax. Two excellent bonus tracks from the session make this a must-have.

The Lee Morgan Tom Cat comes with the same excellent cover used on the Music Matters issue. Good move. Great photo choices inside. Aside from Morgan's red hot playing and the great tunes, Jackie McLean just smokes all over this every time he's up, and the playing of McCoy Tyner is a big plus. Art Blakey on drums here is represented with great accuracy, and shows exactly why the XRCD Blue Note series walks all over the tepid Analogue Productions SACD series - Alan Yoshida has not succumbed to Hoffman's predilection to eq-down the top end and so Blakey is exactly how he was - hot and sizzling on top, riding the hi-hat for all it's worth and letting the cymbals ride and sizzle.

Highly recommended in every way. There can be no argument that these are the best sonic Blue Notes ever on CD, and there is no question in my mind that these are the last word on Blue Note in a physical digital format. Get them.

Two contenders for record of the year - Arcade Fire "The Suburbs" and Wolf Parade "Expo 86"

2010-08-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

Is it any surprise that two of the best records to appear this year are from Canadian bands (Montreal, in particular)? Of course, as a Montrealer, I'm surely biased, but in truth I have never been apt to jump on any nationalistic or civic bandwagon when it comes to music. It just maybe says more about the cheap and superficial U.S culture and recording environment than anything else, but anyways, here are the Arcade Fire with what will surely top many international critics' best of 2010 list - The Suburbs, and it is a simply outstanding record. I wasn't big on the first two Arcade Fire records, but this is to me a completely different vision. It's much more mature and fully realized, and more direct. It tells about something that many of us can relate to thoroughly - life in the suburbs, through the eyes of our parents. A more directly rock record than their first two, this is the work of matured and visionary artists not afraid to be themselves and to be different, while fitting well into the indie mainstream. This record reveals itself immediately and even more on repeated listenings, and works on many levels. It'll be blasting from a million car players this summer and beyond, as well as in a lot of basements like mine where a fine vinyl pressing on 4 sides and a beautiful gatefold with silver embossing on the rear brings back that experience (and smell) of picking up a hot new record during a beautiful Montreal summer. Get this one, it's one of the greatest records of this, or any, decade.

On to another Montreal band I haven't been onto - Wolf Parade, and the new Expo 86 vinyl. Here again, a band that never spoke to me, until now. Gone are many of the more deliberately 'arty' aspects of previous efforts in favor of a more direct, psych and fuzz inflected sound that propels them into the front ranks of indie-ness. A great piece of modern rock, and another one that will be up there on critical best of ten lists. This is a band that could easily be opening for Hendrix in 1968, or on a bill with Nirvana in 1991. Darker that the Arcade Fire, and heavier, this is a highly recommended record that should by rights bring this band a lot of new listeners. The Sub Pop pressing is as good as they come, and the packaging is a delight. Four doobies, and growing.

Another look at Friday Music 180g vinyl

2010-08-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

I was pretty brutal on Friday Music after my first unfortunate exposure to their wares, documented in the archives. They were pretty shoddy, from the cover reproduction through to the lousy sound.

Hearing that Kevin Grey is involved in the mastering of the Columbia licensed titles of late, I have tried a few - 3 Billy Joel titles (Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man) - and I was impressed sufficiently with these to get Mahavishnu Orchestra's classic Birds Of Fire.

Let's just say - these are sonically heads and tails above previous Friday Music efforts, without a doubt solely due to the talents of Grey. The 3 Billy Joel titles sound fabulous - detailed, vivid, open, and dynamic. Great analog sound, and while I don't have originals around to compare (and don't really care anyways), I can't imagine anyone who doesn't have these titles on vinyl being anything less than thrilled.

So on to Mahavishnu. I do have an early Japanese pressing here (with a few flaws, so a good candidate for replacement) and while this reissue sounds extremely good, it misses the special and spectacular qualities of the Japanese pressing by a fair bit. On side one in particular, the sound is very detailed and open, but comes across as being 'precise' while missing the mark on 'passion'. Billy Cobham's great side 1 drum solo sounds very precise - particularly in the bass drum - but otherwise sound somewhat smaller and less impactful. Billy is thunder - and that doesn't come through here. Even McLaughlin doesn't cut and scream to the heavens like he should - so I have to give this one 3 and a half doobies for being polite where polite doesn't cut it.

The Billy Joel titles are highly recommended. I hope Friday uses Kevin Grey more. They need him.

UK bands rule! Teenage Fanclub - Shadows and Tembling Bells - Abandoned Love

2010-08-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Two recent contenders for record of the year lists.

Teenage Fanclub's Shadows is their best work in a long and storied career. Shadows is a great record filled with great storytelling, not the slightest cliche, and great understated rock playing. A great, great record from a great band. Five doobies and a nice piece of quiet, goo0d sounding vinyl.

Trembling Bells debut last year was a real highlight for me. This band is modern yet harkens back to Fairport Convention, Family and similar territory from the late 60's and early 70's with terrific songwriting, musicianship that can go from Fairport (or really, Fotheringay more) to more rock, fuzzed turp - in a way, a more refined and less anthemic Band Of Horses. Their second, Abandoned Love, is even better than the first. Well pressed quiet vinyl, great sounding. Four doobies. Recommended.

The British scene is really coming alive, and here are a couple of the best.

Golden Pavilion Records reissue Dragon S/T on coloured vinyl!

2010-08-02T05:56:00.000-07:00

Record collecting is a renegade mission to me. I am not about collecting warhorses or the obvious, I'm about uncovering and preserving artifacts of bygone eras as a passageway to the past, as a way of preserving great and out of the mainstream music that needs to be heard.

It's a great journey with many rewards along the way. Collecting, as an obsessive outlet, is most satisfying when one uncovers a real surprise. That brings back all those memories of finding something new, and hearing something for the very first time.

So here comes Dragon, from Golden Pavilion Records, a fairly new label based in Portugal, http://www.golden-pavilion.com/ is their website.

Dragon is a European prog band that made only this single record, pretty much self produced and self issued in small quantities in the 1970's. It's largely in the vein of Posiedon era Crimson, with tinges of bands like Cressida and Spring, far more advanced and adventurous than mainstream prog bands like Yes, always melodic, strongly structured and very well played. Lyrically very interesting, heavy doses of Mellotron and guitar in extended songs that are in many ways mini suites. A really GREAT record that it a trip and a treat.

High quality cover printing. A beautiful 180g colored vinyl pressing that is quiet and outstanding. An excellent sounding mastering job. What more could anyone ask for - I recommend this very, very highly and I am looking forward to the reissue of Panta Rei - a long lost classic on the Harvest label - coming very soon.

Five big doobies and an instant candidate for the top ten reissues of 2010.

A new vinyl reissue label appears - Classic Reissues!

2010-08-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

A new vinyl reissue label appeared recently - Classic Reissues, http://classicreissues.com/index.php , a Canadian based label that are apparently only licensed to release product in Canada. Looking at the lineup of first imminent releases, I see a pretty clear direction in title selection - Gentle Giant's Acquiring The Taste, 2 classic Harmonium albums, a few digitally recorded classical Dutoit/MSO warhorses, and later down the line some Supertramp and Diana Krall.

Plugging into my social media aggregation tool, I see once again the folks on the Hoffman board all over this and as usual mostly negative - and getting it all wrong.

Their major complaint seems to be that the titles will only be available in Canada (ever heard of mail order, guys?) and their taunt is that it won't be successful in such an (apparently to them) smaller market.

Newsflash to Hoffman and his tribe - get out of Boise a little more, boys. It's not all about you, and it's not all about the US of A.

Think about this title selection. It's all the way aimed at the Canadian market. Harmonium, a band revered in Quebec to this day, are an obvious choice. Quebeckers, and the massive numbers of Canadians who grew up in Quebec during the 60's and 70's who are refugees now dispersed across the continent, will eat this one up. Not only is Quebec a vinyl hotbed, so is Toronto, Vancouver, and many other places.

Prog broke first in North America in the Montreal and Quebec markets. While Americans were still hanging on to pop and the light So-Cal sounds of the 70's, English prog bands like Genesis, The Nice, Audience, Family and many others, particularly the more eclectic variety, broke in Quebec and were massive there long before anywhere else in North America. Fueled by the best radio in North America - CFOX AM and CHOM FM, and shops like the trippy Phantasmagoria, Montreal was the center of the prog universe in the 1970's.

So Gentle Giant is a logical choice and will be a terrific seller in Quebec, as well as throughout Canada.

How many of these need to be sold for Classic Reissues to be a success? No doubt, the licensing costs are far lower as well as the minimums. These guys could easily move 500 copies instantly in Canada alone, and 1000 over time. Pressed at Pallas and using a top remastering expert, I have no doubt this will be a success and I look forward to the Gentle Giant and Harmonium.

Acoustic Sounds acquires Classic Records.

2010-07-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

No surprise here, yesterday Acoustic Sounds announced their acquisition of Classic Records - which they pretty much already did by acquiring all their inventory earlier (at which point, as the sole distributor, they jacked the wholesale prices way up to drive everyone away from selling Classic titles).

The question here is - what exactly will Chad Kassem and Acoustic Sounds do with Classic?

There were three keys to Classic Records success over a long period of time:

1. Wide range of titles from a variety of genres, many of which were delightful surprises coming way from left field. Everest, for example. Vanguard for another. And where they did core catalog, they often did many deep catalog titles as well as the surface warhorses.

2. Bernie Grundman. Classic used Bernie, the absolute best in the business. The Classic sound was always absolutely top notch. Neither Hoffman or Grey, nor George Marino, are in that class.

3. The 200G profile and latterly the impressive 200g Clarity vinyl. Classic really came up with unique and important advances technically, and although there was a period of rough quality at RTI, using Bill Smith really brought quality to a higher level.

Lastly, Classic packaging was top flight, way above the rather shoddy packaging that Analogue Productions too often cheaps out on.

If Chad fucks any of these up, Classic will be a brand that loses all it's mojo and becomes just another run of the mill reissue label with nothing really to differentiate it.

The best thing Chad can do is keep Michael Hobson driving the titles and production. Keep using Grundman for mastering. Revive the Everest program, which is likely the easiest to get back to. Keep Classic for a wide variety of releases from often deep catalog branches, keep it's unique, quirky and diverse outlook and Classic can be great once again.

Chad's biggest downfall in the reissue business is his extreme conservatism in titles he selects. Quite bluntly, his title selection is just flat out boring. Do that with Classic, and it's a waste of time and money.

Terminal Lovers - All Eyes Burn Clean - the REAL indie scene!

2010-06-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

The indie scene in recent years has become pretty corporate - indie is the new mainstream, in many ways. So here comes a new record by a REAL underground band - Terminal Lovers, the brainchild of Dave Cintron, from Cleveland. I have their earlier CD, Drama Pit and Loan, which is a personal treasure. This record is even better. It's a psych hard rock record with attitude and edge, even a certain amount of abandon. It's real. It's authentic.

The tunes are extended and take turns unexpectedly, well structured. Lyrically wonderful, obtuse and direct at the same time, and gripping in it's originality. Musically there are many nods to the past, touchpoints varying from Zep, to Sabbath, to 13th Floor Elevators through to underground bands from the garage ethos. Not metal, but noisy without being random, a true stoner rock groove flowing from song to song, creating a whole organically bigger than it's parts. Cintron is a guitar hero in the biggest sense, and the band is tight and focused.

A GREAT record that will never be in the mainstream - it's too good for that.

Only 500 copies pressed, on great colored vinyl, so get it while you can. An ear opened and 500 lucky folks, me included, get to have their minds blown.

I bought mine here: www.publicguilt.com

The best record the Travelling Wiburys never did - Golden Smog, Down By The Old Mainsteam - Ryko vinyl

2010-06-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

Just released, the best record Tom Petty and the Traveling Wilburys never did - the underground classic by Golden Smog, Down By The Old Mainstream, newly issues on Ryko vinyl - 2 LP set.

Golden Smog is a king of alt-rock supergroup, with (from time to time) members of bands like Wilco, The Jayhawks and Soul Asylum running through it's ranks. It's a better band that any of those individually, in my opinion, and what you'll find here is a loose vibe, rocking hard and moving through touches of roots rock, a hint of grunge, and overall, a great rock record showing no pretension or great ambition other than to be a great, fun, rocking record that could easily have been recorded in the 60's or 70's.

I can't say enough good things about the music, and in fact, I can't say anything bad about the sound either - I got two nice quiet pieces of vinyl, and the sound is dynamic, open, rhythmically tight, and thoroughly enjoyable. The cover is ultra cool too. Ryko don't dabble in vinyl too much, so this is both welcome and hopefully an indicator of more good things to come.

Five big doobies here. Get this one, you won't be disappointed. In the era of big dollar vinyl reissues that often leave me feeling ripped off or that don't meet the grade, here's an easy $25 purchase that has lasting rewards.

New Blue Note 45 rpm vinyl from Analogue Productions - Jackie McLean/New Soil, Hank Mobley/Workout:

2010-06-13T05:51:00.001-07:00

Two more 45 rpm Blue Note reissues from Analogue Productions.

Jackie McLean's New Soil was his first session issued as a leader by Blue Note. His best work by far was yet to come for the label, but this is a good session by a player that at this point was fully developed technically if not yet wholly original. The presence of Donald Byrd is welcome and a high point is the drumming of Pete LaRoca.

I have not been fully convinced by the Hoffman/Grey treatment of McLean's tone in some past issues, but here, Jackie's tart, sharp sound is perfectly presented, and the tendency of Hoffman to play down the top end is not evident, the cymbals have great percussive impact and the bass is full throated and tuneful. An excellent job, with great transparency and musicality, Jackie McLean's bite and attack are given full rein, and I can only give this one 5 doobies - it actually makes what was long, for me, a lesser Jackie McLean record into one that I will return to many times.

On to Hank Mobley's Workout - a seminal title, featuring Mobley's tenor alongside Grant Green backed by the sparkling Wynton Kelly (an under appreciated great), Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. A great session, and Mobley is hot - and so is Philly Joe. I felt here that Mobley was being presented a bit further down that I would like - contrast the presentation here with the 45 rpm Music Matters issue of Roll Call, for example - perhaps the the fact that Music Matters has a producer to oversee the remastering has a big impact on that. Nevertheless, the strength of this issue becomes apparent on track two - Philly Joe's block hits and simply snapping out with great rhythmic impact, and when he lets loose and rides in after the intro, it's a huge thrill. I recognize that there are limitations any engineer faces with two track masters - so I don't want to leave the impression that this is anything less than excellent, if it misses somewhat, it's in Mobley himself not having the impact or power of tonality that some 45's like Roll Call have. Still - 4 and a half doobies. This is a great record.

Elvis Presley - 24 Karat Hits on Analogue Productions:

2010-06-11T10:28:00.001-07:00

Here comes possibly the highest priced audiophile reissue of all time - $75 for a 3 LP set at 45 rpm, a direct clone of the long out of print DCC gold CD with an identical track list and cover (sort of).

First, let's get to that 'sort of'. Right out of the box (from Acoustic Sounds), the first thing that struck me was how terribly crappy the cover is. It looks like a lousy scan of the CD cover blown up poorly in Photoshop - which is probably actually what it is. The cover image is blurry and indistinct, with colors that are way of and and blurred, badly reproduced shot of Elvis lacking any kind of detail or good color. That's a pretty lousy start to such a premium priced issue, and without a doubt the worst careless job of cover reproduction Analogue Productions has ever done. It should have been a lot better at this price, but I guerss they figure this will sell like hotcakes regardless, so who cares?

The 3 slabs of 180g vinyl are all stuck within a single sleeve, that is in truth probably too thin to safely hold the weight of 3 discs over time. Contrast this with the splendid Music Matters covers, or those from ORG, and you get the feeling that any corner that could be cut here WAS cut. Not good.

But I suppose that in the end, it's the sound that really matters. George Marino did the remastering here, and I had a good feeling about this after the wonderful job he did on Sam Cooke's Night Beat. The sound here is very good, but strangely, not altogether better than that old DCC gold CD. On it's own, as a compilation of (mostly) early Elvis chestnuts, it's a good sounding record. There is generally excellent depth and space, tonality is excellent, everything is very good - just a small sense remaining, particularly on cuts like Suspicious Minds and In The Ghetto - that it could have been much better if Analogue Productions went further up to a remastering guy like Bernie Grundman, or even Hoffman. If this were a 33 rpm issue at $35, it would be very good. It's just that, at 475, with a botched cover job - it misses the mark as a hyper premium product.

If you have the DCC gold CD, stick with that. If you're rich and don't have high standards such that you can accept a cover that looks like a cheap budget knockoff from some third world country, you'll get pretty good sound here, if not the last word in excellence.

Two from Music Matters - Dexter Gordon/Gettin' Around, Grant Green/Talkin' About

2010-06-10T22:14:00.001-07:00

Some recent Music Matters titles to consider, both on 45 rpm 180 gram vinyl.

Grant Green's Talkin' About is a trio date with Larry Young and Elvin Jones, and is by any account the most advanced record Green ever made. The real interest here is in how Elvin and Young play behind Green, and where they push Green towards - in this case, definite post-bop territory. Young is not trying to be Jimmy Smith or Big John Patton here, and Jones is in full 'Coltrane' mode - highly propulsive behind Young's firm bass notes and Green takes flight with his most advanced statements. The sound is very, very good - Elvin's cymbal work shimmers and sparkles with powerful drive, the bottom end - largely provided by Young's pedals - is powerful and harmonically whole, and Green's tone is well reproduced. A great record, and an adventurous choice for Joe Harley and Music Matters.

I noticed something interesting on the Music Matters website - it seems that the titles selling out, and doing so quickly, are not as much the warhorse retreads, but the ones coming somewhat left of center - titles without the long trail of audiophile double, triple, and quadruple dips behind them, and the ones that veer towards more adventurous territory. And I know Joe has seen that too, and is getting on that bus. Great stuff. Five doobies.

Dexter Gordon - Gettin Around is from that latter period of Dexter's Blue Note run, and to me, is his best Blue Note. I was more concerned about how Hoffman would treat this one - recalling that the earlier Music Matters issue of Horace Parlan's On The Spur Of The Moment lacked the top end energy that the Grundman stereo version for Classic had, as well as sounding like Hoffman has rolled off the top end to re-emphasize the cymbal splash (and the brush work). At times, I feel Hoffman in his remastering has boxed himself in by having to cater to his followers, and make sure he never gets complaints about 'brightness'. Too many of his followers have acquired an obsession about 'brightness' that mistakes high end energy and accuracy for being bright. But thankfully, here that is not the case, and the major star is Bobby Hutcherson - his vibes have a real metallic, percussive sound with a good level of harmonic decay around them, interacting superbly with Dexter's at once full, and tart;laconic tone.

5 Doobies for Dexter. A superb job all around. This is an exemplary remaster and a superb piece of music.

As an aside, I notice that Music Matter's producer Joe Harley, who I hold responsible for not only the great sound but excellent production values of the series overall, is also involved these days with cable producer Audioquest. Although I have long since moved on, my first exposure to high end cables (okay, I did have some Monster Cable prior, but that surely cannot be considered a real high end cable) was through Audioquest interconnects. I have to say that even though my digital rig largely consists of Yamamura cables, and my analog setup mostly Tao, Nordost Hemidall and PHY-HP cabling, the Audioquest as a mass market product stands up very, very well, and as an introduction to high end cables just can't be beat. If not for Audioquest, I wouldn't be where I am (audiowise) today. That Joe is associated with Audioquest as well as Music Matters puts him up a few notches in my eyes.

Emission Labs (EML) 5Z3 revelation!

2010-06-10T21:47:00.001-07:00

Recently I ordered a few sets of the glorious Emission Labs Globe 45 tubes from Jac Music in Germany. Jac's a good guy in this business for sure, and he is producing without a doubt the best new tubes in the world bar none. His series of 300B's, for example, is simply stellar - I'm currently using his mesh 300B which are woinderful, and if not quite as organically euphonic as the old AVVT mesh, they are certainly far more stable and reliable - besides, that AVVT 300B mesh is long unobtainable, even at ridiculous prices.

In that box of Globe 45's was a single EML mesh plate 5Z3 tossed in as a sample.

Now, first a word about mesh plates. There are some very shady marketers calling any plate with a hole in it a 'mesh' plate - such as the Sophia, Full Music, and TJ brands. This is complete bullshit. NONE of these are mesh plates. They are solid plate tubes with a bunch of holes punched in them. That is just plain false - mesh plate tubes have exactly that - a true wire mesh woven as the plates. Nobody but Emission Labs has done that incredibly difficult manufacturing process since the mid 1930's.

A real mesh is glorious to look at, but more importantly, the sole benefit of the mesh cannot be realized with a punched hole plate. That benefit is purely sonic. Mesh tubes have a wonderfully organic, euphonic, relaxed sound that is not veiled in any way - open, transparent, yet at the same time possessing a warm inner glow and sense of organic integration that solid plate tubes simply don't have to the same degree. There's something that just sounds very right, integrated and whole about mesh tubes.

That's been my experience with mesh power tubes - and yes, I do have NOS Perryman mesh 45 tubes from the 1930's, dead mint, to compare.

But I had not tried a mesh 5Z3, not really believing that mesh qualities would be apparent on a lowly rectifier. Man, I was wrong, and I just had my ears opened big time.

This 5Z3 mesh did a big time transformation on my Komuro circuit 300B amp. I have a ton of NOS primo 5Z3 in my stash - early Rayhteon box plates, Visseaux from France, Pill getter RCA and Tungsol from the 40's, engraved base Sylvania...and on, and on. The best sounding ones that are incredibly tough to find. The EML 5Z3 sweeps them all away. Right away, that organic wholeness comes straight into play, and the bass becomes at once tigher and bigger. The top end loses any last trace of hardness and digital tizz. The mids are focused, detailed and realzed. All around, the sound becomes bigger, more integrated, timing, pace and rhythmic sense are fully integrated - and there's far more propulsion and sense of feeling rather than hearing. It conveys emotion - rather than reproducing the bits.

It's simply not going to be possible to take this tube out of my amp. It's visually a wonderful complement to the EML mesh 300B - and sonically. What a great achievement.

I can't recommend this 5Z3 mesh highly enough. Even a jaded NOS guy like myself, with many hundreds of prime rare NOS in his stash, and a certain disdain for most new production tubes, got a stand up call from these. Yes, they're expensive. Actually, scratch that - they're cheap. Dirt cheap - for the strength of the musical experience inside those bottles. Highly recommended.

Two from ORG - 45 rpm vinyl Coltrane/Hartman and Stan Getz Au GoGo

2010-06-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

After quite a delay, two new Bernie Grundman 45 prm remasterings are now out from Original Recordings Group (ORG).

The John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman record certainly can't be considered value for money on time alone - this is scarcely over 30 minutes, 6 tunes. But the music is magnificent, Hartman giving the best performances of his career, a deep resonant dark voice that is superbly captured by the Van Gelder recording and Grundman remaster. Coltrane is an exceptional accompanist, as are the rest of his quartet. This is certainly far from representative Coltrane, but on it's own merits, is a superb record. The sound as expected from Grundman and ORG is superlative - a very rich, detailed, organic transparency and the finest tonality, particularly of Coltrane's tenor and Hartman's voice, of any prior issue. This is now the only way to really get to the soul of this great recording. My pressing is perfect, flawless, deadly quiet. Five big doobies for this.

The Stan Getz - Au Go Go is a very under-rated record, eclipsed by the more pop/MOR records like Getz/Gilberto. Wisely, ORG have chosen to reissue Getz Au GoGo and not give yet another rehash of that or another warhorse. Here', Gilberto appears, but in a broader band context that includes Gary Burton on vibes (rather than a piano) - Getz himself is given more room, and is playing hotter and in a more expansive mode. It's a live recording, a very good one, and Grundman's remaster lets the room sing, the level of transparency here is really putting the listener right in the room, the immediacy of the sound, and the burnished tones of both Getz and Gilberto, are superbly rendered. The space around the voice and tenor, and interplay with Burton's vibes, are wonderfully delineated, each having it's own distinct space and unique tonality. One characteristic of Grundman's best work, that no other remastering engineer can match, is the absolute blackness of the background. That's what I feel here. This is a wonderful, unexpected addition to the ORG series. It's perhaps the best Getz of his bossa-nova era, and I commend Jeff Bowers and ORG on not going down the 'safe' route of reissuing well-trodden chestnuts yet again, and bringing Getz Au GoGo back to life so vividly.

The downside - the pressing I received is far from flawless. The discs had a fair amount of debris on them, and side 3 has some big pops that can't be killed through cleaning, as well as an ugly scratch. I'm hoping the gang at Elusive Disc can take care of that, and that my copy is just an abberation. Five doobies for the music and the sound - at least. Pressing quality - jury's still out.

In any event, two very fine new issues from the company that in my opinion is the top reissue company currently operating.

Two from Audio Fidelity on 24k gold CD - Asia and Simon & Garfunle Sounds Of Silence.

2010-06-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Here come a couple of recent releases on the much-maligned Audio Fidelity label, both on 24k Gold CD. First up - Simon & Garfunkel's Sounds Of Silence. This is the second S&G release from AF, both mastered by Kevin Grey, the first being the twee grandma music of Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyne. Sounds Of Silence is a bit more engaging, but realistically, there's still a fair bit of twee folk filler here. Still, the title track is a classic, and the number of strong songs almost makes it a good album, although in reality - this is little more than thirty minutes of music, of which maybe $18 is not dated and bears up to regular play. Not exactly a prime candidate for an 'audiophile' remaster at premium price, but I guess AF get what they can - and since they sell largely by subscription, their customers get what they get too. Kevin Grey's remastering is exceptional.

Still, it's a better call for reissue than Asia. For sure, Asia's first album is their best. But that's not saying much. This record pretty much created a genre all unto itself - AOR stadium prog. Pretty ugly, fronted by the ever pretty, posturing John Wetton (the Engelbert Humperdinck of prog!) and wasting the estimable talents of Steve Howe. Aside from the two hits that start the album, the rest is rather monotonously repetitive of the same tight, pomp prog that sounds hugely dated today. The remastering, again by Grey, is quite good - Palmer's kick and toms come through very powerfully, those 80's synths sound cheesier than ever, and sitting in the sweet spot I can actually feel the mullets waving in the wind!!

I've gotta stop throwing my money away on useless titles from AF. At least I'm not dumb enough to get that other great new piece of gold plated mullet music from AF - Grand Funk.

I just console myself by saying over and over than at least I had the good sense to jump all over the MOFI Yes Album.

The Simon & Garfunkel is a must buy if you love this album. The Asia might have been a fave back in the 80's, but you might find that you really don't enjoy going back there, in this case.

A Taste (and preview) of upcoming Beatles Vinyl Remasters.

2010-06-09T07:12:00.001-07:00

On record day a Parlophone single of The Beatles' Paperback Writer backed with Rain slipped out in limited quantities, and has now been domestically pressed.

It offers perhaps a preview of what enthusiasts can expect from any rumored vinyl remasters of The Beatles catalog.

Of course, the music is so well known it needs no comment.

What fans will be wondering about is how this sounds, to be able to have a brief glimpse into how any eventual series of remastered vinyl might be.

In my opinion, comparing to prior issues on vinyl is an endless and ultimately pointless exercise. My view is that any re-release should be listened to on it's own merits, and that given the sheer volume of Beatles pressings out there, comparing pressings is simply so time consuming and ultimately music-killing exercise it becomes self defeating.

I do have a set of Japanese pressings to compare to. I have a pretty complete set of red vinyl monos, and a good set of (mostly) black vinyl analog pressings, also Japanese. I have no doubt that early first UK Parlophones sound marginally better, but I'm quite happy with the ones I have chosen as my go-to set.

Overall, these two remastered tracks stand up very, very well. The sound is very vivid, detailed - more so than my Japanese pressings, good as they are. Yet they are also quite warm, not to the point of fuzziness, and very analog sounding - whether they come from hi-rez digital or not. By the way, there is absolutely nothing wrong with vinyl sourced from a hi-rez copy of the master - in fact, as has been shown many times (The Stones, The Doors as two easy examples) there may even be some sonic advantages. If one wants the real 'original' sound, that's no problem - get originals. It's not like that is tough to do.

On a track like Rain, what I always felt was a somewhat 'dirty' and tizzy sound has been remarkably supplanted by a very clean, dynamic and smooth presentation - this may actually be an overall improvement on the original. Paperback Writer is very vivid, dynamic and has a propulsive, organic bassline that is thoroughly well conveyed, not goosed up, just completely harmonically and rhythmically 'right'.

Whether I care to buy a whole set of whatever eventually comes out, we'll see. Like I said - I have some really great pressings, especially those Japanese monos. I expect a lot of fanatics, like me, who grew up with this music and jump for any Beatles product will be tempted to get any eventual set released. I might be too. They will no doubt be hyper analyzed online, criticized, knocked, endlessly pulled apart in the most belittling detail, and argued over - but from my perch, this new single sounds great and if it is a portend of the eventual vinyl series, it augurs very well, so much so that I might be tempted to part with some $$ to sample the series once again.

It's not about comparing or making it into a contest, it's about the music, and whether a remastered vinyl set lets us hear these iconic tunes in a fresh light, and takes us to a place at once back and at the same time new. I think they will.

What's coming next - ORG Getz Au Go Go, ORG Coltrane & Hartman, Music Matters Larry Young & Dexter Gordon, and more!!

2010-06-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here's what I'm listening to lately on the audiophile vinyl front:

MUSIC MATTERS - Larry Young/Unity, Dexter Gordon/Getting Around

ANALOGUE PRODUCTIONS - Jimmy Smith/Chicken Shack, Hank Mobley/Workout, Jackie McLean/New Soil

ORG - Stan Getz/Getz Au GoGo, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, Sonic Youth/Evol, Velvet Underground/Live

PURE PLEASURE - Cab Calloway/Hi De Hi De Ho, Taj Mahal/The Natch'l Blues, Count Basie/Kansas City Suite

SPEAKERS CORNER - The Marvelettes

MUSIC ON VINYL - Jimi Hendrix/Are You Experienced, Alice In Chains/Jar of Flies

And a TON of contemporary releases - Taylor Hawkins, New Pornographers, Hold Steady, Roky Erickson, Dead Meadows, Paul Weller, Sweet Apple, MGMT, The National, Band of Horses, The Dead Weather, Pontiak, Sleepy Sun, Stone Temple Pilots...all on vinyl, catching up on 2010 so far.

What I'm NOT buying:

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme, AP 45 rpm reissue - let's face it, $50 for yet another rehash of ALS is simply ridiculous, since this one is done by the same Kevin Grey that did the reissue for Speakers Corner a few years ago - which I have and think very highly of. Pass.

Nat King Cole - ALL the AP 45 rpm reissues - look, I'm sure these sound great and I respect the amount of work that undoubtedly went into them. They are undeniably sterling examples of grandma music, little old lady stuff that sounds very pleasant and dated. To me, dead boring. I might get "The Nat King Cole Story" which is about all anyone will need. Elegant cocktail party music.

Stay tuned! Discussion of each to come very soon.

Following up on the MOFI YES Album - Hoffman Debacle:

2010-06-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Shortly after my post on the rather churlish goings-on at www.stevehoffman.tv bashing the Mobile Fidelity gold CD of The Yes Album, the entire thread and topic was deleted and barred from the Hoffman vanity site.

What caused that is apparently a threat of lawsuit by MOFI against Hoffman, himself no stranger to legal troubles.

What gets me here is - why did it take the threat of a lawsuit to get Hoffman to do the right thing - what he should have done from the outset?

Obviously, there was a whole lot of uncontrolled and completely unfounded speculation, misinformation, and downright ugly bashing of a title that a big majority of those wankers participating had never even heard. This is far from uncommon at Hoffman's board. Steve Hoffman lets big time misinformation and unfounded criticism of a whole lot of his 'competitors' go wild, yet, bashing of The Steeve leads to a quick deletion by his censor team and a banishing by same. The MOFI folks themselves have been banned by Hoffman for attempting to go on the Hoffman site to correct misinformation - that's a no-no there, he LIKES the misinformation to run rampant. The worse he can make others look, the better he looks - or at least that appears to be the underlying theory. In reality, it makes him look terrible - NO other mastering engineer, particularly the major senior names like Bernie Grundman, George Marino, Ted Jensen, or virtually any others would allow or participate in this stuff.

So why does Hoffman? First, it's jealousy and insecurity. Hoffman has always been jealous of MOFI - they were the ones who established the audiophile remastering market - the pioneers. And they are still the best, get the best titles, have the respect of the labels, and have a much wider customer and distribution base. Second - it helps him sell records mastered by him, and that's what keeps him working. Remember - Hoffman has a very narrow range of clients. Analogue Productions (when working on titles licensed from labels that will allow Hoffman near their tapes), Music Matters, Audio Fidelity (mostly for the continuity from the DCC days, although Huff has screwed up enough that, in combination with label bans, Kevin Grey seems to be doing more AF stuff lately), the odd Pure Pleasure title, and not a hell of a lot else. Third - he's got a massive ego and loves the adulation from his aging male groupies. Doesn't want to upset the faithful, especially when they are playing along right in line with his interests.

Congrats to Mobile Fidelity for standing up to this and calling Hoffman out and getting him to back down. It's sad that fear of a lawsuit is the only thing that gets Hoffman to act decently.

Unfortunately, many of Hoffman's other victims don't have the resources or fortitude to do the same. Maybe now they will stand up also and get Hoffman to clean up his act.

Ultimately, the Hoffman board is a dinosaur of social media, populated by dinosaurs. There are really relatively few playing there anymore, as social media evolves away from discussion boards and into direct blogs and direct feeds. Can't come a minute too soon.

By the way, many of you have sent a message about the MOFI Yes Album - agreeing with my views. Most importantly - they have heard the MOFI, and know it's awesome. Way awesome.

POSTSCRIPT: 6/09/10 - Rob LoVerde of MOFI emailed me, saying that MOFI never threatened to sue Hoffman. Yet, that is exactly what Hoffman himself said on his board as the reason he pulled the Yes Album thread! Given Hoffman's history of fabrication, I would take MOFI's word on this. The unanswered question is - why would Hoffman make up such a story, instead of just saying the truth - like, 'I'm pulling the thread because it's gotten way out of hand with misinformation and unfounded speculation, and that's not the way we do things here' - but then again, I guess that IS the way things are done there. Sad. It's speaks volumes that Rob Loverde contacted me to correct a bit of information like that - they want to be on the up and up. That's the way it should be.

MOFi The Yes Album CD - and more (tall) Tales of (Steve) Hoffman!

2010-05-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've been living with the new 24k gold CD of the great "The Yes Album for a week now - I was so eager to get this one I had a copy couriered the day of release, last Wednesday. Put it in my car player for the drive home - absolutely staggering. It doesn't take much in terms of system or ears to get it on this title - the record is an all time classic, with supposedly problematic sonics (more on that later) and it's release by MOFI I have been eagerly awaiting.

Of course, the willnots over on the Hoffman vanity board have been all over it - as usual. Jealousy (their hero didn't do it), obsessiveness - claiming sonic artifacts that simply do not exist, waveforms (the tool and downfall of the unenlightened and uninteresting) and of course - almost none having heard it, as usual, Huff lets MOFI get savaged.

Too frakking bad. This thing from all accounts is just flying out of Music Direct - someone I know actually heard it in a coffee shop last week - yes, the new gold version! This one is huge.

Dynamics? Simply amazing. Powerful, clear, warm, organic sounding. Dynamic as all get out. Bass that is simply so deep and powerful, it gets deep into the bones. A shimmering top end. Simply awesome.

That's enough time wasted on the sonics - some knobs over at Hoffman are up to twenty pages of posts dissecting this, while smarter music lovers are using that time to dig this great MOFI. Let 'em have at it.

Music is a regenerative force. Except on online boards like that, where it's an exercise in reduction - making the music smaller, more restricted, sucking the life out of it. Some of the stuff I talk about here - and listen to regularly - spans 60 years, and all the events, lives, feelings, and sounds in between. The great music is continually re-inventing itself and never dies - but there sure is one engineer giving it his best, with his minions, to kill everything that doesn't bring him money.

Back to the MOFI Yes Album.

I can count on my fingers how many Cee-Dees are better than the best vinyl. I have an original plum label Atlantic UK copy of The Yes Album, and the MOFI explodes all over it. On "Yours Is No Disgrace" Steve Howe's arpeggios sound like celestial drops of colour, his hollow-body electric tone beautifully rendered. At times, within tracks, Anderson's vocal has echo applied for a verse going back to untreated clarity moments later, which was never clear before - at least, not like this. The Clap is in a room with four walls AND a floor - and that floor is part of the song never really encountered before. I was also taken aback by how Tony Kaye underpins Squire's bass on this record - and how important Kaye is to the Yes sound. I'm not the only one who has noted how this remaster gives Kaye his due.

Throughout, the dynamics belie the myth that this is a poorly recorded master tape. It's not, it just took MOFI to get it right. The bottom end is devastating, but still, wholly organic and clean.

We can go on and on. this might be one of the best 'audiophile' remasters I have ever heard, and believe me - I have a very big collection. Thank God that Hoffman didn't get his hands on this - his rather clinical recent digital style couldn't come close.

Get this one, and get it fast. It's simply awesome. And ignore the ignorance and misinformation of those with an agenda - you'll be saved from the dark side, brothers, if you pick this one up.

An open letter to Chad Kassem, Jeff Bowers and Joe Harley - or, hasn't everyone got sick of the new Analogue Productions Verve series just announced!

2010-05-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

I'm prompted here by the announcement of a new 45 rpm vinyl series from Analogue Productions. I looked through the announced titles with a combination of horror, boredom and anger.

The horror. Most of these titles have already been superlatively done by Classic, remastered by Bernie Grundman. Who needs another? What is this other than a cash-in aimed at baby boomers with more money to burn than common sense? How can this possibly serve the music in any way?

The boredom. Once again, Chad is stuck in the 50's. Some of these are done to death warhorses, a few others are horribly dated musically, some still are just plain boring. What a missed opportunity if, indeed, Chad has opened the Verve vault.

The anger. Mostly, at a missed opportunity. There's gold in the Verve vaults that is just screaming for a quality reissue, that lots of folks would jump to buy. Stan Getz's Sweet Rain is the greatest Getz Verve album, if not his greatest of all - never been given a quality reissue. Ditto on Bill Evans Trio 64 and Trio 65.

Chad - time to move on from the Dinosaur Jazz.

The 70's are not something to be scared of! It was a GREAT period for all music, jazz in particular. The music was exploding in all directions, the level of playing had hit a much higher level, it was a fertile period not bound by the earlier conventions, that has been well recorded. It's not a period to be scared of. There are lots of folks who grew up with this music, now getting back to vinyl, who are just sick of the exploitation of the warhorses of the 50's and early 60's, and the deep conservative focus of reissue labels like Analogue Productions.

Sure, Elvis is Back is great - but the Speakers Corner reissue is superb. Why not do Elvis In Memphis - a stone classic? Someday My Price Will Come and Seven Steps to Heaven are transitional placeholders in the Miles Davis catalog - weak records by any reasoning. Yet, the true classics - ESP, Nefetitti, Miles In The Sky, Sorcerer, Filles De Kilimanjaro - with the classic quartet - would be a real coup with a wide market - and their reissue by an operation like Analogue Productions would cause real excitement.

How about Columbia classics like Don Byas and Bud Powell's Tribute to Cannonball - a hugely great record? How about Dexter Gordon's Homecoming - Dexter in the late 70's was the greatest tenor on the planet and his playing on this record makes his Blue Note stuff pale. Why not some Columbia Monk? The cover alone on Underground makes is a sure hit. Straight No Chaser...Monk's Dream...just waiting for someone to give them a great remastering. Someday my Price Will Come? Yawnnnnnnn.....get me Wayne Shorter's astonishing Native Dancer.

I get filled with boredom and anger at having the necessarily limited release schedule wasted on dinosaurs that serve no rational purpose.

Jeff Bowers at ORG has got it. He's got a good mix. Those Nirvana, Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth reissues are massively, spectacularly good. This guy loves the music, deeply, and knows that a good mix of repertoire in superb Bernie Grundman sound expands the base - people are promoted to explore titles they otherwise wouldn't have known about of considered, and that's what it's all about.

Jeff - how about YOU do Sweet Rain, Trio 64 and Trio 65? And while we are still being blown away by your Crescent, why not Live At Birdland - and (gulp) - Expression? I wouldn't dare suggest Pharoah Sanders or Archie Shepp, even though their prime Impulse titles have been in print pretty continually for over 40 years and are classics in their own right. But I might be surprised at how well they would be received.

Joe Harley - you're going there, brother, and I applaud you for it. Music Matters gets better and better. I never do those wish lists that folks post online that are so stupid, posting their demand for Australian surf music on $50 audiophile 45 rpm vinyl that would sell all of 3 copies. But there are some Blue Notes with huge potential that I would like to suggest.

First - get Art Blakey's Indestructible BACK on the release schedule. It's killer.

Here's a few great Blue Notes to consider:

Lee Morgan - Caramba and Charisma, particularly the former for great tunes and Bennie Maupin.

Art Blakey - Mosaic and Free For All. Mosaic was once identified by Michael Cuscuna as his favorite Blakey, and I agree - it's his best. Free For All suits the 45 format perfectly.

Donald Byrd - Royal Flush - his best!! And with Pepper Adams on board - the Half Note live records. Way, way better than Byrd In Hand.

Ornette Coleman - New York is Now - which is Ornette's best and most accessible Blue Note, with the stone classic "Broadway Blues".

Sam Rivers - Contours. His best Blue Note by a mile. Look at that rhythm section!

Andrew Hill - Judgment and Smokestack.

Joe Henderson - Mode For Joe.

Elvin Jones - Coalition - much better than "Ultimate" or "Puttin It Together".

Wanye Shorter - Schizophrenia - far from avant garde, might just be my favorite Shorter aside from Native Dancer.

Bobby Hutcherson - Dialogue. Sure, the later Harold Land fronted records are great, but Dialogue with Sam Rivers is essential.

Keep 'em coming, Joe and Jeff - I'm in, all the way.

Chad - get with the program, brother, and start making it interesting!

Elvin Jones Genesis and Music Matters.

2010-04-28T04:07:00.000-07:00

Great to hear that Music Matters is doing the great Elvin Jones "Genesis" record. Genesis is among the great Elvin records, and in fact, in my opinion is far superior to the more popular Puttin It Together. Genesis is of it's time, the 1970's, where Elvin's Blue Note output is on a par with McCoy Tyner's output for Milestone - but unfortunately, some suit in a record company accounting department long ago relegated Elvin to the dustbin, believing that Elvin is unsaleable, so his Blue Note output, aside from the good if somewhat staid Puttin It Together, remains unissued on CD. So big time kudos to Music Matters and Joe Harley for getting Genesis scheduled for a fine reissue on 45rpm vinyl.

But.....once again, a few old timers on the Huffman site have started their whining about the cover. Those dunderheads can't get past the 50's and 60's Blue Note conservative style, and are - believe it, brothers - complaining about the cover! Yes indeed, that's right - a few old men want the cover changed because they don't like it!!

Want to know what "dated" looks like? Look at the cover of "The Magnificent Thad Jones"..."Back On The Scene"..."Doin Allright"...those look like something out of a bad episode of MadMen. Or the redone cheesy Matador cover - or the upcoming redo of Solid - what is more dated than a cover of a guy blowing a big cloud of smoke out of the cigarette in his hand?

And while we're at it, I have to say that some of the music in this Music Matters series sounds awfully dated. That should be fixed. Like - The Opener, for example. Sounds just SO 1950's - it needs to be updated, maybe some guitars and electric bass? That would work. That Louis Smith is another great example - really dated material, really old sounding cheese. Needs some vocals, like some Diana Krall or Jacintha to perk it up. The Huff guys would love that, especially if one of those gals were on the cover too.

See what I mean? You can't please everybody every time. But if you have a policy of sticking with the original where an original exists, nobody can argue with that - it has integrity, and is simply sensible.

Part of the deal in these reissues is in being able to go back there. The cover is part of that transportation process.

A cover is simply part of the history, but also part of the artistic statement. It's what the artist approved, it's how the record company put the music out into the world, and it is what it is - part and parcel of the music. No one would think of changing a Hendrix cover, they would all complain endlessly if a Beatles cover were slightly altered, they would launch a campaign if an insert were missing from an Audio Fidelity reissue. So why would anyone change Genesis?

No reason at all. These guys are hardly representative. If you want to keep those guys happy, just slap a pic of Linda Ronstadt (before she got fat) on every cover. They'll love ya.

But here's the rub.

Social Media is hardly representative of the broader public. It's highly polarized, where a small segment with very hard views and a strong need to dominate with those views hog the discussion. The middle gets squeezed out. Nowhere is this more true than the Hoffman vanity forum, which is so heavily censored and dominated by a small number of older guys stuck both musically and mentally. They represent and care about themselves.

Those same guys complained about Out To Lunch being in the Music Matters series - and look what happened there. Quickest title to go out of print in the lot.

One of the problems with the current fad of high priced reissues is the lack of diversity in the music represented. It seems like many cater exclusively to the small band of older males, reissuing old warhorses that are conservative and have already been done to death. I applaud - and support with my bucks - labels like ORG that have the courage and vision to offer a diverse range of great music, not all of which is as immediately salable to the robo drones in the Hoffman clan. I applaud Music Matters for getting into some later Blue Note, which is JUST as rewarding as the early stuff.

Joe - there is a whole generation behind those old guys on Hoffman who didn't get into the music through Blue Train and Kind of Blue - who got in in the 70's, through stuff just like Genesis. Here's a great opportunity to engage them - and they are the generation getting back into vinyl now, not those old guys. ORG is talking to them, Speakers Corner is too, so is Pure Pleasure and a whole bunch of others. Chad Kassem is missing a great chance by sticking to titles like Someday my Price Will Come, a rather weak transitional Miles title, instead of doing great titles like Nefertitti or ESP.

Don't blow it, Joe, by caving to a few guys on an internet forum who are hardly representative. If you say that you are going to respect the original cover where Blue Note issued an original, stick to it, as a matter of integrity. If in the space of two days a few Huff oldsters can move you, that integrity is out the window. Stick to that cool Genesis original cover, and I'll buy it happily. Mess with history that is part of the music, and put a pseudo Reid Miles faux job to satisfy some wankers, and I'll take a pass.

A tale of two Chads - or why buying from Diamond Groove is a bad idea.

2010-04-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have been buying up a fair bit of Classic Records vinyl lately - stuff I had thought of getting for some time but didn't get around too, and even though there is tons of Classic stock around, most will never be pressed again, so might as well get while the getting's good.

Usually I will order from Audio Basics (www.audiobasics.com) - they are in Vaughan, and so it takes a day to get here without any fuss. They pack great, the stuff always arrives in perfect nick, and their prices are very good. I've had three packages from Audio Basics over the past several weeks, service is great. Out of the dozen Classic titles I picked up from Audio Basics, one had a problem - a Heifetz disc, and the Classic Heifetz are notoriously problematic pressings. Sent it back to Ben, no hassles, he had none left in stock - I took another and we are all good. Once before I had to sent a record back to Audio Basics, no hassles and immediate replacement. That's how it should be - great service, great prices, and the product is great - from a company that stands behind their product. I recommend Audio Basics without reservation.

I buy a fair bit from Acoustic Sounds in Kansas - Chad Kassem has built a formidable record business, and he has a great customer service operation. I received a box of a dozen titles last week, and another of the new ORG Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth pressings. The latter were flawless, and in the first box, one of the Classics - a Monteux/Elgar disc - had pressing defects. I'm usually not too fussy, but this one had some severe flaws that cleaning and other manual labor on my part couldn't correct - a quick note to Acoustic Sounds generated a return authorization, and as with any other occasions I've received a defective pressing from Acoustic Sounds, they stand behind their product with no hassles.

On to Diamond Groove in Dundas, Ontario - (www.diamondgroove.com) part of Alternative Audio, an run by another Chad -Chad Hess. The contrast between the business ethics and customer service between the two vinyl Chads could not be more pronounced. I dropped by Diamond Groove in Dundas several weeks ago during a trip to a local client. Dropped about $500 on new vinyl - which has just got to be a big chunk of change by any standard. A few Classic titles. Diamond Groove has always been way overpriced - way higher than Audio Basics, or street retailers, or even importing directly from Acoustic Sounds or Elusive Disc. It's a myth that the cost is driven up with customs duties, taxes and brokerage - the good US dealers like these help customers out with that, if you know what I mean. Still, it has been convenient to go by Diamond Groove, and I've bought at least 250 records from them in the past few years - a pretty significant customer, I would think.

Apparently, Chad Hess doesn't think so.

Now, a bit of background. I've had growing concerns about some stuff I've been getting from Diamond Groove for awhile. I had noticed some re-wraps - stuff someone else returned as defective, but stuck back on the shelf for another hapless customer. This bothers me as a business practice - if it's defective, it's frakkin' defective - it should not go back on the shelf. I'm not picky, but I noticed a higher than average level of defects from stuff I got a Diamond Groove - curious. I got some pretty shady stuff, but I always ate it.

When I was in the Diamond Groove Store a few weeks ago, I brought back a couple of defective discs that I had ordered through the mail - A Yes title that arrived with a massive seam split despite my specifically asking that the record be removed from the cover, and a MOV Alice In Chains title that has huge side two scratching and sounded like it. I expected to secure a quick and painless exchange for good copies (I suspect the Alice was another Diamond Groove rewrap job). However, I was taken aback when the staff had to go to Hess to ask what to do about these returns, and Hess insisted, after some backroom discussion while I cooled my jets and felt uncomfortable, on listening to the records first. Eventually, he agreed to exchange the Alice and on the Yes stated to his staff that I was to be advised that I must ask for the record to be shipped outside the sleeve when ordering or it's my fault.

Fortunately, I had printed the order advice and had it in my car - clearly showing that I had, in fact, asked for the records to be shipped outside the sleeve. Another backroom trip to advise Herr Hess of this, some mumbling from Hess that he "never misses that", like - again, it's the customers fault 'cause he's not man enough to take responsibility - and I was refunded for the Yes - but I felt like I was being made out to be somewhat less that valued without a doubt. Still, I bought about 500 bucks, and departed.

About 15 records, and two had problems. One was another rewrap and had consistent noise throughout. Unlistenable. The other, a Classic Everest, was a very noticeable pressing defect on side two that played through with loud popping. Not good. I promptly packed them with a nice note asking for replacements and sent them off to Chad Hess at Diamond Groove. He emailed my a few days later asking why he received them - apparently, he didn't find the note enclosed - it was on 8 by 11 paper, but, you know, not everyone sees the obvious. Chad promised to look into it and get back to me. After a week, I called Diamond Groove and was told that Chad would call me back. He did not. I called again and Chad answered, and he rather curtly informed me that he was too busy to "deal with it" and needed to "assess" the records. I told him I had already saved him the trouble - I assessed them myself, and found them to be defective. Chad insisted that he had to evaluate them himself, and that he would try to "get around to it" in the next few days, but he was busy doing his taxes.

At this point, I knew I could never do business with Diamond Groove again. Not only was Chad lying through his teeth, but obviously he couldn't care less about customers.

Another week went by without a word from Diamond Groove. I called again. Chad told he that he has listened to them, and found them to be perfect. He would not replace. I told him that would be a problem. He told me he would refund my money if I "came by the store" with my receipt. I told him that I would not drive 100 km to Dundas to get a couple of records refunded, and that he had the receipt himself - he writes them all out by hand, including record titles. He insisted.

Chad was also kind enough to point out to me that most vinyl has problems, and that basically I should just learn to live with it. Sweet. In the course of the lecturing, Chad pointed out that he can't return vinyl to his distributor and has to "eat" returns. That's not true, but I sense truth isn't Diamond Groove's strong suit.

Therein, folks, lies the essence of Chad Hess and Diamond Groove's business philosophy - jack up the prices high, which presumably should give more than adequate coverage for any returns, and stiff the customer on defects after jerking him around for a few weeks with a stupid dance.

Of course, what a small timer like this doesn't realize that, aside from the order I immediately canceled, the margin on sales he has now lost from me will be exponentially higher than their margin on those two records. Old Chinese retail proverb - rip a customer off for two, you lose two hundred future sales. Dumb, just plain dumb.

Canadian vinyl buyers - go to Audio Basics first. If they don't have it, go straight to Elusive Disc or Acoustic Sounds. If they don't have it, get it from Ebay - it's a lot less risky than being treated badly and ripped off by Diamond Groove.

Besides, inevitably, guys like Chad Hess don't last - in retail, even more than in any other business, pissing off customers means you won't be in business too much longer.

Classic Records - the recent discussion about their future and Acoustic Sounds...

2010-03-25T10:49:00.001-07:00

A bit of controversy erupted online, particularly at the audiophile loser board (www.stevehoffman.tv) over the last week concerning the future of Classic Records. As always, the huff let a lot of speculation about Classic going out of business play itself out before posting - as a result of discussion on other social media about his competitive agenda in allowing such speculation to be on his site - the correct information that Classic has gotten out of the direct sales and distribution end and has sold it's stock and distribution rights to Acoustic Sounds.

Fair enough.

Then, naturally, a flood of his minions started to attack Acoustic Sounds for their apparent practice of raising prices when titles go out of print, in response to supply and demand forces.

None of them have the slightest clue and none have the slightest idea of how this market works.

When an audiophile record of limited release is getting low in stock, it becomes subject to the 'audiophile scalpers' out there, particularly folks like www.mymusicfix.com that operate on Ebay and Amazon, as well as other speculators and scalpers. They start ramping up prices based purely on supply becoming scarce.

If Acoustic Sounds were to keep their prices at list when supply of an out of print title gets low, all that would happen is that their remaining stock would be instantly purchased in it's entirety by scalpers, who would in turn make a huge profit selling on Ebay or other venues.

What do they expect Acoustic Sounds to do?

Let the last stock get bought up for cheap by Mymusicfix so they can make an outrageous profit, and have none of that reinvested in producing new records or building stock (and crooks like Mymusicfix do NOT accept any returns for defective records - which Acoustic Sounds does)? I don't think Acoustic Sounds is in the business of feeding Ebay speculators.

These comments accusing Acoustic Sounds of being shady or unethical in pricing are not only unfair, they reveal a distinct lack of understanding of what goes on out there by Ebay sellers and other speculators/scalpers.

Personally, I hope that the deal with Acoustic Sounds gives Classic Records the capital and breathing room to regroup, resolve their licensing problems, and get back to doing the awesome job they have been doing of getting a whole lots of great titles from a variety of genres pressed in just about the best sound of any vinyl reissue label out there.